Young Justice: A Night to Remember
by KaliAnn
Summary: Its the end of the school year and Young Justice is looking forward to a night of romance and dancing, but a new evil is moving into fill the void left by the Light. When teenagers start to go missing can Young Justice save them and their night of dance? Continuation of my Young Justice storyline.
1. Therapy Jitters

_This is a companion and continuation of my AU Young Justice Trilogy. Please click my name to read those first if you haven't already. I hope that you enjoy this story and leave reviews. Thanks._

The month and half since Young Justice had been reinstated had been one of the busiest times in the young heroes' lives. Not only had all of them been enrolled in school, and were working hard to perform well, they also were involved in many clubs and civilian activities with their school friends. They continued to volunteer at humanitarian projects; to give back to the people they had inadvertently harmed during their time as Project Hero Light. They had completed rehab with excellent results and continued to see their therapists without question getting help for their mental issues. The families had gotten even closer and the bond between the twelve youths was strong and unwavering.

Since their reinstatement, each of them had been working hard at training sessions with Black Canary and Red Tornado in tandem with sessions with their mentors. The team had gone on a few supervised missions, along with a couple runs alone with their mentors who appraised their performances, to help decide if the individuals and then the team were ready for them to act on their own. As May was winding to a close with only two and half weeks of school left, Young Justice had a lot on their minds between finals, personal matters, and when the team would be allowed to go on an unsupervised mission.

It was late Friday afternoon and all was well in Metropolis City. People were just getting off work and heading home to their families for dinner when the peace of the afternoon was shattered. Pieces of glass and concrete started falling off the sides of buildings. Citizens abandoned their cars and ran for their lives as the two supers battled the failed clone Bizzaro. "We are clones of the steel man. We're brothers in a sense! We should join forces not fight!" The crazed clone commented to Superboy as he threw a punch at the teen. Superboy dodged and punched straight through the sidewalk. Touching one of the underground cables he used his tactile telekinesis to animate the cables. They wrapped themselves around Bizzaro, zapping the failed clone painfully.

"I'm not into joining anyone else's team against my Father, you crazy creature. Don't think I've forgotten our earlier conversation because of the deranged clone here," Superboy retorted to his Dad. As Bizzaro freed himself and flew at the teenager; Superboy ran at top speeds and delivered a devastating kick to the chest sending the crazy clone several blocks away.

Bizzaro tried to steady himself and got ready to fly at the teen, but found himself being spun around in circles as Superman grabbed his cape twirling around and bashing his head into street lamps and statues. He punched him in the face and froze him with his arctic breath. As he started to crack the ice he was hit from behind by heat vision from a floating Superboy. Together father and son punched the clone's lights out and handed him over to the authorities. Superman turned to his son and spoke.

"I know you haven't forgotten the earlier conversation Kon El, it's just that these things take time. There is a lot of consideration before it can happen. Besides, you seem very distracted. Is something going on at home I should be concerned about? Something at school I should be worried about?"

"It's nothing just drop out! We should get going, don't want to miss meeting Ms. Lane for the first time!" Superboy spazed before taking off in the sky. Superman sighed, promising himself to call his mother and find out what was up with his teenage son. He did really have to get home and ready for Lois.

In Gotham the duo of Batman and Robin were dealing with some pre-night life activities of some of their more notable foes. Batman was going toe to toe with Bane while Robin was dealing with some mind controlled animals curtsey of the Mad Hatter. Batman delivered a strong uppercut to Bane followed a hook kick to Bane's right leg. "Is that the best you can do _senor_?"

"Not even close Bane," Batman whispered hurling some smoke bombs to the ground. Robin could hear sounds of a confrontation, but he focused on the two chimps trying to rip his arms out. Flipping over them he dropped some new toys on them. The capsules exploded releasing a gooey elastic strong enough to hold the chimps. "It seems like your tea party is under the table."

"Perhaps you are right and perhaps you're wrong, but the game has only just begun. I have more tricks of the trade up my hat and what can you do against me little bird? Nothing!" Mad Hatter cackled and giggled getting ready to hurl one of his mind controlling cards at the Boy Wonder when it was smashed to pieces by a black and red batarang. "That's not possible!"

The Mad Hatter soon found out exactly what was possible when a single smoke bomb went off right under him. He started coughing and chocking only to find out he couldn't move. He barely even registered when Robin shoved him into the side of the building blissfully sending him to dreamland. Batman came over dragging a beaten and normal size Bane over to the beaten Mad Hatter who had a tied up and black eyed Riddler, with his cane snapped in half, on top of him. Batman glared at the empty space as Batboy materialized. "Don't think this little stunt helps your case very much. I told you to sit in the car."

"It wasn't my idea to leave the car, but with Riddler snooping around someone had to act. I managed to out trick him with my own little riddle. Pity, he couldn't guess the answer."

"You mean the one about kids? That one is hard to get. Batman you have to admit that we've come far. Maybe you'll let us go now?"

"We'll talk about it after dinner. Right now you two are late for a meeting with Dr. Thompskins. Don't think I've forgotten about that."

In Gateway City, Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl were busy finishing up a fight against Silver Swan. Wonder Girl threw up her photon shield as the Silver Swan's bewail filled the air. Both Amazons winced under the sound of the song. "You two shall perish under my lament tune! No one not even two Amazons can withstand my song's powers."

"Are all female villains this talkative?" Wonder Girl questioned her Mother. Wonder Woman threw her tiara breaking the jaw of the Silver Swan effectively stopping the song. The villainess gave her a cold look and flew at her. Wonder Woman met her in midair and she started hitting her with her fists while the Silver Swan beat her with her wings.

"I'm not sure mine do, but don't let this distract you, ugh, from our talk. Are you sure you want to get involved with something like that? It's Amazonian in a way, but still."

"Mom, of course I want to get involved. You know how much I love to, ah watch out she's letting loose some feathers! Anyways it's, oh stupid feathers, its make it or break it situation. I have to do it. Please!" Wonder Girl replied, stretching out her lasso and snagging the Swan's wings and knocking her unconscious with a jolt.

"We'll talk about it later. Right now we need to make sure no one was hurt by our Swan's little temper tantrum."

In Happy Harbor, Katana and Fate's Dagger had teamed up with Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter, to stop a get away car loaded down with weapons. Katana deflected the bullets with her soultaker while riding a floating platform her son had conjured up. "Be careful some of those guns appear to be armor piercing! Martian Manhunter how long until the authorities arrive?"

"Ten minutes for back up to arrive. They are attempting to set up armored roadblock up ahead. Until then, it up to us to stop them before they harm someone. Are you sure the kids are up for this? They are still just adjusting to being heroes again," Martian Manhunter questioned as he allowed the bullets to pass through his body. He stretched out his arms to try and grab the car, but the passenger fired a flame thrower forcing him back.

"That's unexpected. With all this gun fire I can't get close. We're going to have to let the kids handle this."

Fate's Dagger flew alongside Miss Martian carving a protective circle in front of the two of them; shielding them from the array of bullets. The car was reaching speeds of ninety and they were starting to fall behind. "I'm going for the tires, you stop the car."

"Right, and then I'll use my mental powers to break the guns. Maybe then I can get back to figuring out what I want to do about, ah Fate's Dagger time to act!"

"Right one kinetic spell coming up!" Fate's Dagger's tanto glowed gold and he thrust it forward in four quick successions popping the tires. The car started skidding and the smugglers started to flip over, when Miss Martian took control and manage to land the car right side up and locked the doors. She found the weapons and broke them in pieces. As the police arrived the two teens were talking amongst themselves about special upcoming events.

Both in Midway and the open sea, both Hawklady and Aqualad were being pestered by their mentors, as they took care of routine missions. Hawklady simply barrel rolled out of the way using the winds from the sky scrapers to elevate her high into the sky. Her bo staff deflected the blast from Matter Master's wand and the energy transformed several rooftop gargoyles into real jungle animals.

"I'll handle the beasts you assist your father. So are you sure you don't want to tell me more about what you want to do? After all it's a momentous occasion when a…" Hawkwoman remarked to her daughter, as she induced blunt force trauma to many of the beasts. One of them bit down on her wings, but she kicked it in the gut forcing to let her go. "As I was saying…"

"Can we not be discussing my personal life at the moment? After all we have a job to do!" Hawklady commented, as she ordered a passing flock of pigeons to drop a load on the supervillian. One bird left a huge deposit on Matter Master's face, nearly dripping into his mouth. The man was yelling curses and trying to wipe off the mess when Hawkman swung his ax and cut the man's wand in half. He picked up the struggling man ignoring his shouts of protest and turned to his daughter.

"Your personal life is important to us daughter. I'm going to drop off our guest at the police station; why don't you and your mother head to your appointment? We can talk more about your thoughts on the subject over dinner," Hawkman told his child, before flying to drop the man off at the police station. Hawklady blew a loose feather out of her face and joined her Mom on the flight to the shrink's office.

In the cold Arctic Seas, Aqualad was using his new body to its fullest extent by absorbing the poison grenades payloads and releasing it in toxic bubbles over the whalers. The men started twitching on the floor in spasms as he flooded the ship getting rid of the riffraff. He ducked under and zapped two men with guns before diving over board to assist his King, who was using his telepathy to gather a pod of whales, to sink the ship. "The deed has been done. This is one more whaler that will never harm the seas and its inhabitants again."

"Good job Kaldur, it's good to see you adapting so well to your new abilities and making use of them. Queen Mera is pleased how you've adapted the combat spells she taught you to your benefit. My wife also reports that you've been having interesting talks with her."

"It is nothing out of the ordinary my King, just trying to keep the Queen company. The arrival of your heir and son is only a fortnight away. I look forward to meeting the young prince and helping him prosper," Aqualad tersely said. He was very anxious to get back home and see how the queen was doing. "Should we finish rounding up the whalers and drop them off with the proper authorities?"

"Anxious to get home aren't you? If had to guess there's more then just your day at school you want to talk about with Mera. Alright, we'll talk more later and then maybe you'll tell me what's been stuck in your mind like an annoying barnacle."

In Central City, Kid Flash was bored out his mind, as he zipped behind his Uncle Flash. The Golden Glider was skating in the air trying to perform a triple salcawl on Flash's head, while her partner Chillblaine was firing freeze guns at him. Seeing a nearby ramp, Kid Flash zoomed up and did a double front flip before pummeling Chillblaine with his feet. The villain tried to punch him, but he grabbed him and forced his arms behind the man applying pressure. "You do realize that the pain threshold exists to prevent people from trying to live through pain that is too much for the conscious mind to handle? That's why you usually pass out at one point."

Chillblaine struggled to break free only for the pain to increase as Kid Flash twisted his legs causing a circulation problem. Finally he couldn't stand the pain threshold and passed out. Kid handed the would be thief off to nearby police just as his Uncle came over with a cross struggling orange clad skater. His costume was smudged and torn where her exploding jewels had struck him. He had removed her skates and personally put her in the squad car. "Man, she's more ruthless then her brother Captain Cold. This has to be the sixth time in three months she's come after me."

"Maybe she's just drawn to your charming personality, I know I am. Well I got stuff to do so I'll be seeing you, ah come on! Please don't make me go! It's so boring and my mind can't even focus on what the shrink has to say!"

"Rules are rules Kid. You don't want to be the reason the team doesn't get to go on solo missions anytime soon right? I know you don't like the shrink and I don't either, but personally I think you have a lot on your chest to get off. Especially those issues with Athena and that upcoming..."

"Okay shut up! I'll go! Please don't embarrass me!" Kid Flash's face was red as his hair as he was escorted to his appointment as if he was a little kid. He really didn't mind the talks with the shrink, but at the moment he'd rather be anywhere else then going to there. He wondered how the others were doing. His mark was itching so something must be up.

In Hub, Question was keeping one eye on his daughter and the other on his foe. The two of them had busted up a drug deal going down. Right now were trying to round up the clients and dealers while they waited for the police to arrive. He smacked a gun out of the dealer's hand and twisted his wrist causing him to drop the knife he was holding in the other. The dealer high on something called angel dust was a maniac with super strength. He came after him and grabbed Question trying to squeeze the life out of him. Question pitched forward sending the man into a wall. He chopped two men in the back and was dealing with the third as he talked nonchalantly to Huntsmark. "You know I'm not the one to make those kinds of decisions, that's your mother's area of expertise. I personally don't have a problem with the idea, but your mom might be hesitant about sending the wrong message."

Huntsmark pulled off her tie and used it like a bullwhip smacking the clients in the face. She ducked behind some furniture and fired her arrow guns. The compressed arrows zinged through the air pinning their arms to the wall. She flipped over the furniture and delivered a devastating kick to the shins. She drove her elbow into their throats until they passed out. Only then did she turn to look at her father. "What message would it send? You know how much this means to me. I really want to do this and so do the others."

"I know and after everything you've been through you deserve it. It's still your mother's call. Alright, grab your punks let's drop these druggies off at the station before it becomes corrupt again."

"Your paranoid you know that Dad?" Huntsmark told her Dad, but he chose to ignore her. As Huntsmark not so gently dragged her prey behind her she wondered what the others were up to.

The last two members were having an interesting time; at least Green Lantern JR was. With Uncle Hal dealing with some trouble in a nearby system, it was up to his Father to teach him how to conduct himself in space, as they used their powers to deal with runaway asteroids making sure they didn't crash into Earth. In true fashion his Dad was collecting the asteroids in a large net and then hurling them back towards the Asteroid Belt.

"As you can see the key is maintaining total focus on the task at hand while using the right amount of will power to maintain the field of integrity. Try to anchor your thoughts onto that so incase you get knocked out the energy will automatically protect you from exposure."

"I understand Dad, I do. What do you think of my latest construct? The asteroids are funneled into one end of the tube and then shot back out the other end. With this system in play we might not have to worry about another serious impact," Green Lantern JR reported showing off his newest construction.

"Not bad, and very interesting the way you can create the solid construction that's durable enough for space. It seems that preparations need to be made when we head off to Oa. Unless there's something else that you wanted to do?" John/Green Lantern asked his son.

"Its nothing Dad really, can we go back to Earth now? Mom promised to stop by to see how I was doing and I don't want to keep her waiting," Green Lantern JR. mumbled, already taking off for Earth with his Dad close behind.

In Star City, Green Arrow and Artemis were busy handling Brick and his goons, stopping him from getting his latest shipmate of stolen goods. Artemis was in the middle of the goons using both her martial arts and bow to deal with the hired help while Green Arrow was dealing with Brick.

"You're getting slower Brick! I can hit you with my eyes closed. Putting on some weight, oh don't like that much do you?" Green Arrow taunted firing some boxing arrows and knocking over crates on the gang leader. Brick broke through the crates and started hurling their heavy contents at Green Arrow, who dodged and started firing new arrows at him. He winced as he was hit in the shoulder by particularly sharp piece of pottery.

"I'm not the only one who is slowing down and what's with the new sidekick? She's a lot prettier then the last one except for the scars on her arms. What is she a cutter? Did your standards fall that far or what?"

"Shut your mouth or so help me I'll do it for you! Artemis is a fantastic heroine and worth more then ten of you!" A single arrow zipped past him and struck the brick skinned man in his chest delivering a powerful sedative that knocked him out in seconds. GA turned and saw Artemis walking over to him with a small smile. Behind her the hired help was tied up or moaning in pain. "Well you certainly made short work of them."

"Helps when you eyes target their vulnerabilities and tells you how to adjust to wind change. Thanks for the compliment Green Arrow, it means a lot to me," Artemis said looking at her arms with forlorn expression. He placed a comforting hand on his "stepdaughter" and led her to the car. She had her psychiatrist appointment with the League shrink today in his office. He was hopeful he'd be able to help her out.

Half an hour later, Nerissa was sitting in an uncomfortable chair in Queen Industries, as the League appointed psychiatrist reviewed some notes from their last session. The shrink was sworn to keep secrets of the heroes and was very trustworthy. Dr. Cambridge turned to his patient smiling trying to put her at ease, but just made her more uncomfortable. "So Ms. Artemis, I'm sorry Nerissa, I believe that at our last session we were exploring your feelings about your upcoming reconstruction surgery. Mr. Queen has told me he's arraigned to pay for it and help your mother out with the recovery process. How does that make you feel?"

"Guilty a little okay lot. I appreciate what he's trying to do and I'm glad that he wants to help my mom and I out so much, but I don't know if I should go through with the surgery. I can still use my bow pretty well and I'm not in a lot of pain," Nerissa replied.

"I've reviewed your medical files as well as notes from Mr. Queen and your mother. Your arms do cause you pain as the scars try to fix themselves and I know that your adjusting to use your bow to its full extent. Your scars cause you a lot of stress with answering questions and dealing with stares from your peers in general. Reconstruction sounds like the best way to help you. Are you sure you're feeling guilty about Mr. Queen's help or is something deeper? Are these scars your way of dealing with your actions? Perhaps a way to stick it to your dad for all the pain he caused you?"

"Yes! No, I'm not sure I just, it's confusing. On the one hand I really do want to look normal and be able to do the things I could do before the scars, but on the other if I don't have them then how will I show I'm suffering? I wish I knew why I felt like this. I'm so sick of all the looks I get and the rumors going around. Everyone treats me like I'm fragile, that I'm going to break. The only one who truly accepts me is my boyfriend, but even he wouldn't want to go with me to the never mind."

"I'm sure Mr. Stewart would be more then happy to accompany you on your special night and that he would be proud to be seen with you. I know this is hard and I'm glad that we are dealing with your issues before you go in for your exam. I'm confident that by the end of the month you'll be sure if you want the surgery or not."

"Thank you Dr. Cambridge, that means does help a lot."

"Well, shall we continue?"

Shania was dealing with similar issues as she talked with her shrink, Dr. Sal. The elderly woman was use to high profile clients in her practice and a teenage heroine in training was no different; even if she was an alien. She was helping out with Young Justice and gaining insight into how difficult it was being an alien on Earth. "So tell me more about how you're dealing with life right now. I know that you're training hard and from recent broadcasts have learned a few new tricks."

"Learning Thanigarian battle strategies is not that hard and I have learned to hover which is a handy talent. Taking down bad guys does make me feel better. I love proving I'm more then what I was created to be. Jordana says we all try to show that we are more then the sum of our parents. She's right and she's been a big help with preparing me for finals and the never mind."

"I think I know what's on your mind and I have to say I'm not that surprised that you're concerned about that and how it's affecting your judgment. After all, maintaining a stable civilian life is key to ensuring that your heroine life doesn't overwhelm you. Why don't you tell me more about this event and what you would like to do?"

J'onn was conducting a therapeutic session with his niece using telepathy to place them in a mindset both felt at ease with. The landscape resembled their homestead on Mars. M'gann watched whimsically as her sisters and parents laughed and lived their lives oblivious to her presence. She floated over to them and her heart was breaking at the sight of how joyful everyone was acting as they ate their evening meal. She turned to face her uncle with tears on her face. "_Why are you showing me this Uncle? You know how much it hurts to think of my family."_

"_I'm concerned to why you haven't responded to your families transmissions. I explained the extraordinary circumstances about your transformation and your actions to both them and the government. In an unprecedented move, you've been granted a pardon and can return to Mars whenever you wish. Your family is eager to hear from you and see how you're adjusting so why don't you respond? Are you still struggling with your unique heritage? Why not talk with them about your experiences?"_

_ "Because it was a private_ _matter Uncle! I didn't ask for you to do what you did, and while I'm grateful, I wish you hadn't taken the initiative without consulting me about how I felt. I'm still not a hundred percent comfortable with dealing with my mental talents. I hate that you're pushing me to learn techniques that are very closely related to what I did as Martian Womanhunter. Why do I need to learn these techniques?"_

"_In order to prevent you from using your talents in such a manner, I feel that is important that you learn how to defend and properly use those techniques, so you don't misuse them intentionally. I'm only trying to help you M'gann._"

"_What if I don't want help with my mental abilities Uncle? What if I want to hang with Melissa and Em planning for the school da-I mean nothing, forget about it. Training in mental talent is good for the team."_

"_That is the second time in the last few hours you've changed your words. Tell me what is on your mind that you would guard this closely? I promise to be understanding_," J'onn told her kindly. She continued to blush and fumble with her words as she told him what was on her mind.

In Central, Dr. Sadie Cane was counting to fifty as she watched her charge zip around the office reading all her psychology books for the fifth time, as he tried to focus on the task at hand. "If I didn't know better; I'd say that you developed a late case of ADHD. Is there a reason you keep reading my books? You didn't find them that interesting the first two times you read them."

"I'm really sorry Dr. Cane; it's just a nervous habit I developed. Ever since I gained the ability to recall perfectly everything I've read, I've been drilling on how to sort the information and apply it in the proper context. My friend Jay had me read the entire contents of the Central City Library from top to bottom and then write five page detailed reports. It helps, but my mind still has trouble focusing when it's bringing up the last chapter of "Ghost Girl" and trying to make a connection to the biography of Carl Lewis. Ugh, my teachers are starting to question if I'm not cheating when use the facts I learned on my papers. Finals are coming up and I need to focus!" Wally lamented as he tried to sit still in the chair. He was playing with Dr. Cane's rubrics cube completing it over and over again.

"Its surprises me that you're still struggling so much with your new ability considering you had nearly mastered it last time we spoke. Your body language and limited attention span makes me think that there is something else going on in your mind. Something civilian related because surely you would have mentioned heroics along with finals if you were truly concerned with both issues. Why don't you tell me what's really giving you the jitters and maybe I can help you figure out how to deal with the problem at hand like I have before. Don't you trust me Wally?" Dr. Cane inquired the young speedster.

"I don't know Dr. Cane you're supposed to be helping me deal with mental issues that could prevent me from resuming heroics. Unless you know a way to avoid getting skewed to death by an Amazon Princess, I doubt you be much help with my little dilemma. Man, why did everyone else have to have easier parents for their beau?"

"I don't know any techniques with dealing with rampaging Amazons, but I can advice you on how to best approach Wonder Woman, if you're thinking about taking her daughter out on a romantic night of fun. Why don't you give me the details and we'll go from there," Dr. Cane advised as they continued their session.

Dr. Leslie Thompskins was counseling both of Bruce's sons at the same time, but outside her office she could hear the petty arguments going on between Bruce and Mrs. McGinnis, who had come for an update on her son, Terry, progress. She knew that Bruce was worried that someone would figure out Mary's relationship, but she had taken every precaution to protect Terry and Bruce privacy.

"Alright, I wanted to go over our progress since our last session. Dick, Terry, I know this was hard, but I asked you both to develop techniques to sorting through and dealing with each memory individually before filing them away. You can't run from painful memories, but you can take control and not let your mind be paralyzed by painful memories. Dick, have you figured out a system that works for you?"

"Well kind of off. I still have a lot of memories of what I did as Nightwing including where I nearly killed Roy. I thought about how those memories made me feel and how I wanted to do the opposite of what happened. So after I relieved the memories and promised to never act like that again I imagined that memories were pushed under a big tent and couldn't get loose. It seems to help and their fading a bit as time goes on."

"That's good to know. Allowing painful memories to attach themselves and dictating your actions is not healthy. You need to move forward and not let the past overwhelm you, but you know that. Terry, I know this is harder for you because of your perfect recall, still I'm hoping that you have found a way to deal with these memories."

"I've tried over the years to develop ways to file away or even forget memories with little success. The memories of Project Hero Light are a bit easier to forget because my conscience was suppressed, but I still automatically recorded what I was doing. I tried this boxing and filing away technique that has limited success. The nightmares have stopped and I've thrown myself into activities along with Dick to help ease our painful memories. You should see how well I trained Ace with Max's help! Oh he's such a smart puppy! Max is a good friend and I want to ask her to the um forget it."

"Yeah, it's not important. Really why should we bother Bruce with something that not involved with our hero recovery? I mean sure our civilian lives are important, but he wouldn't get this despite his persona."

"Boys, I promise not to tell Bruce anything you want to keep confidential, but I need honesty if I'm going to help you. I have an inkling what is going on, but you're going to have to tell me if I'm right," Dr. Thompskins. Half an hour later she told the boy's to get ready to leave while she talked to the parents.

"I still can't believe you came today. What if your husband gets suspicious about why you're spending so much with a child that is not yours so to speak," Bruce demanded quality.

"Stop worrying so much, Warren and the kids are at the dentist office. Poor Warren needed to get a filling and Matthew is getting braces. I told him to take better care of his teeth. At least Madison is just getting a cleaning. If they ask I'll tell them I was visiting an old friend. Ah Leslie hello. How was the session?"

"What can you tell me about their mental status? Are they suffering still from post traumatic stress? Should I hold them back from their extra curricular activities?"

"Bruce, your sons are doing fine and healing at a remarkable pace. Their minds are very resilient and they have good coping mechanisms. I have to say they balance their two lives quite efficiently. They're learning to handle the memories of what happened. I see no reason why they can't continue with their extra curricular activities, but there is something that you need to be made aware. A special event that is happening in two weeks that is really stressing them out," Leslie told the two of them as she revealed what was going on with Dick and Terry who were nervously waiting to leave the office and confront their father and or mother.

In Gateway City, Diana and Athena were having dinner with Tyson Bay, who was in town that night for some business at a fancy five star Greek restaurant. The family was enjoying their _Chtapodi sti schara _and _Stifado._ Athena had just ordered a _Rizogalo_ for desert. Tyson looked at her amused noting that his daughter seemed to be really enjoying her food. "It seems I picked the right place to dine together tonight. I wasn't sure if you've had these foods, but had hoped that they would be similar to what your mother might have grown up with. I understand that you exploring more of your cultural heritage."

"Amazons eat similar food, but we didn't have some of these tasty deserts growing up. One of my favorite things to do is explore and try new foods. My sisters might have a heart attack at eating all this scrumptious foods," Diana casually remarked sipping her wine. "It was nice of you to come and visit Tyson. I understand that you're very busy with the rebuilding efforts of several countries as of a late."

"Just trying to better the lives of the Haitians and Namibians people my Princess. Their life cycles are not the easiest and many find themselves trapped by social classes that are not of their own making. I hope to improve not only the quality of their lives, but the overall health of the countries themselves. I'm glad I could visit Athena. I've notice that you seem awfully quite my dear. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, why wouldn't it be? I mean the Dance Angel's finished their season as runner up State Champions. The whole team was proud because we had never made it that far before in competition. Mom was super proud of me and we have the trophy back home if you wanted to see it. I know you watched me on TV because you were out of the country at the time. Sasha and I studying really hard for finals because we both want to do well and the teachers won't be giving anyone breaks. All this studying is really giving me a headache. I'm looking forward to going to the da oh I mean training more with the team once school is over."

"Athena, stop playing games already. I know that you're not that concerned right now about solo missions as you pretend to be. Why don't you tell us what it is that's got you so excited," Diana told her patiently. Tyson nodded eagerly and put down his utensils to listen as she slowly spoke.

In Hub, Helena was ranting about the difficulty of her mission with Vic who was calmly serving blueberry pancakes, Zairia's favorite, for dinner. Helena was sporting a nasty gash on her shoulder where she had been cut with a vibroknife and according to her it was all Batwoman's fault for not immobilizing the idiot in the first place. "I really think that Oracle's needs to rework her admissions policy. I know she's got her hands full out in Silicon Valley training Misfit and dealing with Savant, but she could have had better information for her East Coast team. I'm telling you Vic, those were not ordinary tech thieves that Batwoman, Flamebird and I went after. Some of them were cyborgs for crying out loud; shooting eye lasers and force blasts at us. Ugh, I really could use a massage tonight."

"I would be happy to oblige you. I even have some scented oil that we can use."

"Oh gross, I don't need to hear about that! It's embarrassing," Zairia groaned covering her face. Her parents laughed lightly and her mother gave her a hug tightly. She was so happy to see her daughter laughing and acting normal. "I heard what you did today with your dad. I'm very impressed with how you handled the situation. He told me you wanted to talk about something with me. What is it Zairia?"

"Um well, you know it's just that well I really would like to go to the social at school with someone special. I just am not sure if you think it's such a good idea to bring Bettie with me. I mean she's older, lives in another town, and is a girl. What would the nuns think?"

"Zairia, whatever you decided to do with your life I support you. I know it isn't easy going to a Catholic school when you're Wiccan and isn't the easiest when you're hiding your nature, but that part of you shouldn't be held back. Why don't you ask Bettie if she wants to go with you to the- Vic the stoves on fire!" Helena shouted as Vic tried to put out the flames and the conversation was forgotten.

In Blackthorn, Vixen was listening to the pros and cons her son had come up with about why he shouldn't be going to a social function with Nerissa at her private school. His list of cons was getting long with reasons like never been to one before, high society function, and most importantly he would make an absolute fool of himself on a real date with other people.

"Alright that's enough. It's obvious that if you're this worked up that you should be going. I'm sorry that you missed all the others because of training or that you didn't have a date, but this is vital to your growth as a teenager and a human being. I don't care what your Dad and Uncle say, I'll help coach you and by the time you walk through the doors at Gotham Academy that night with Nerissa you'll be the classiest man there. First things first I have to teach you to oh hold on that's my agent."

"No problem mom and thank you! I have to call Nerissa and tell her I can go with her!"

In Happy Harbor, Taji was listening to a phone conversation between his Mom and her old team the Outsiders. Right now they were in southern Africa dealing with some cults trying to harm the locals and they had gotten a new member, a metahuman girl by the name Grace Choi ,who had ancestral connections to the Bana Amazons. Apparently she took no crap from everyone and was hitting on Geomancer wanting to have sex, but at least she used her super strength and durability to deal with the cult members in one hell of a brawl. Black Lightning assured Katana that with a little time and training she'd be a good resources. "So how's motherhood treating you? I mean we heard on the news about you teaming up with Manhunter and stopping those gun smugglers earlier. Are you now a reserve member of the League?"

"Hardly, I just helped out wherever I can. I'm only semi retired you know! Being a mother to both a sorcerer and samurai in training can be exhausting even with a kid as laid back as Taji. He's really looking forward to the end of the school year and having a family vacation. I thought I take him to Japan to see his ancestral land."

"Sounds like a grand idea. Hey maybe the team can stop by and visit as well. I'm sure Halo and Wildmane would love to meet him. I don't know about Choi, but she seems protective of kids."

"That be great! I can use all the help I could get. Nelson can only do so much from the Helmet. At least he can explain the facts of life better then I can. Earlier I heard him giving Taji tips on how to act when one goes on a date to a school; oh I just remembered I forgot I needed to pick up some dry cleaning and the store closes in half an hour. Got to run BL talk to you later! Taji let's go! If you want something nice to wear you better come with me now!"

Beneath the waves and back in the royal palace, Queen Mera was comfortably resting in her bed on doctors orders. She was about two to three weeks away from delivering the heir and was under strict orders not perform magic or strain herself. Her students took turns visiting her telling her all about what was going on. At the moment she was listening to her adopted son talk about his adventures at human school and how he was sad that it was ending so soon. "Enrolling in school so late means I didn't get the same opportunities as my friends, however if my scores are high enough I do get to join Jordana and Shania in junior year next year. I have already chosen my electives for the next year along with my regular courses. The surface world varies so much from school to school it's amazing that there is a set curriculum my Queen."

"I'm so happy Kaldur that you are doing well in your studies. You were a good student at the Conservatory, but you were not meant to be a master water mage. Your heart is too much of a warrior to be tied solely to one art. Uff, I'm sure that when my son is born you will wow him with your tales of the surface world. Kaldur, I was wondering if you thought more about what I offered earlier. You know that you will always be Orin and mine's first child."

"I know that my Queen and my heart is over spilling with joy that you and the King want me to be your son's guardian and mentor, but are you sure I'm worthy of such an honor? Surely Tula or Garth would be a better choice."

"Stop feeling guilty about what happened months ago. You have earned the respect and trust of all of Atlantis not that you ever lost it. This honor is one you deserve no matter what. Now this is something else we need to talk about Kaldur'ahm. I understand that you and Shania are planning to attend your school's last function and you were considering backing out because I might give birth then. I'm ordering you to go with your friends to your night of uff no matter what understand? You haven given so much my child you just need to be selfish for once understand?"

"Yes my Queen, I understand. I promise I will go no matter what happens."

In Metropolis, Connor was trying not to bolt from his seat as his Dad talked with Ms. Lane. It was the first time he'd ever met her and she kept grilling him with questions. He was careful to keep his answers short and to the point thankful he'd memorized his false history so well. "Are you trying to interview me Ms. Lane or are you really that curious about me"

"It's not you kid. I just have a hard time accepting that Smallville here, the All American Boy Scout, would have casual sex and not know about a kid for so long. It seems a bit far fetched if you ask me. Almost like a cover story."

"Really Lois stop scaring the kid so badly. It's not like he's my clone or alternate version of myself. He's just a kid. So Connor, Ma was telling me you've been spending time with Chad and asking advice about something very secretive. What's going on in Smallville maybe I can help you out. I was a teenager once myself."

Connor's face flushed bright red, "Nothing's going on! You know the usual preparing for finals and getting ready for tending to the crops in the summer. I've been invited on a couple camping trips, oh excuse me, um I got to go do my homework. It was nice meeting you Ms. Lane, I hope to see you again during the summer break. Got to go bye!"

"Smooth Smallville, make him even more nervous. Honestly don't you have any tact?"

"What do you mean Lois? All I asked if he wanted my advice on something. He's been acting weird since he got here a couple hours earlier."

"Man are you blind? The only time a teen guy starts blush and wanting to do homework, is when there's a girl on his mind and special date's he got planned for her. That old high school of yours have anything special coming up?"

"Just the Spirit Day and graduation ceremony for the seniors, but Connor is not graduating until next year. There are the usual parties that go on, but he never goes to any of them. He mostly stays home."

"Yeah sounds like you alright. Does he have a girlfriend that he talks to? Maybe something is happening with her."

"Well, theirs my friend John Jones niece that he's really attached to. They talk and email each other a lot even Skype. She lives in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island so they don't get to see each other as often as they like, though they have been racking up frequent flyer miles with how often they do fly to see each other. I think John mentioned that Megan has an End of the School Year Welcome to Summer Dance for the students to blow off steam after finals. You think Connor wants to go to a dance with her? Why he's never been to one before. Ow, Lois don't hit me!"

"Idiot! You're an idiot, of course if he's never been to a dance he wants to go to at least one before the year's up. How else is he going to prepare himself mentally for the summer parties and get togethers with his friends, if all he does is stay home with your folks and farm? He's probably nervous about asking her and getting the money to fly out for the weekend to visit her. If I were you Smallville, I pay his ticket and help get him ready for this. Dances make or break your social standing. I have to get going and type my piece for the Planet. I'll talk to you later good night," Lois told him giving a quick kiss. She left the poor Clark in the apartment bamboozled.

He had thought their earlier conversation had been about Superboy's performance evaluation and if Young Justice was ready for solo missions. Not about how to ask a girl to a dance and what to do! He briefly wondered if the others were dealing with the same thing as he walked into the guest room to talk with Connor.


	2. School and Training

It was the following Monday and the kids had finally all revealed the cause of their nervousness. While many of the League were bamboozled by how a simple dance could unnerve the team so much; they weren't against allowing the kids to attend the function. That got rid of some of the stress, but now there was a lot more due to fact they needed to get ready and prepare for finals. Also they had to still attend both therapy and training sessions to earn the right to act solo again. Life as a superhero teen was never easy.

Conner was helping Chad and the rest of the Impression Club, set up for selling their literary magazine to the student body, before first period. The magazine was one of their biggest issues ever with over fifty submissions, several belonging to Connor. Already people were lining up to pay for the magazine to read. They also couldn't wait to check out the link to the webpage with the extra art and writing samples. "I can't believe how popular the magazine is this year. Your inverted idea for the cover design really seems to have sparked a lot of interest. You could have a future as a writer and graphic designer if you wanted Connor. By the way, how was spending the weekend in Metropolis with your dad? You thinking of moving to the big city for school next year?"

"That's the plan, but I'm not sure if I will. It would be nice to live with my Dad, but Metropolis is so big and there aren't a lot of wide open spaces. I would have trouble fitting some of my possessions in his apartment. I would also miss hanging out with you. You've been my friend since the beginning helping me out so much. I would hate to lose you. That's two dollars. Here you go. What do you think I should do?"

"One second, here's your copy. Okay everyone we'll be selling more copies at lunchtime and throughout the week! You can pick up your copy then and don't forget to check us out online. I don't know what you should do, but I think you need to decide soon so you can figure out what your doing next year. Come on Connor, we should fly to our first period. We're getting time to work on our research paper for English Lit today. I still have to find another source and type up my paper on my dream job of being involved in the media field. What about you?" Chad asked as the teens made their way to class.

"Um, I'm having some trouble with some sources and planning my rough draft. Don't worry I'll finish in time to hand it in by the deadline next week. One of my Dad's requirements is if I want to go see Megan; I have to have all my work done and study hard for finals," Connor admitted shyly. This assignment had been difficult for the young clone who wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do with his life. He had finally settled on a topic awhile ago and was now just trying to finish the legwork.

"You must really like this girl to go all the way to Rhode Island to be her date. We should get together after school sometime this week and help find an outfit for you. That is, unless, you trust your old fashion grandpa to prep you for the night of your life?"

"You'd be welcome company. Thanks," Connor said gently bumping fists with Chad. It was wonderful to have a normal human friend he could count on. The two buddies gave each other a knowing grin and hurried to class as the late bell rang.

Megan was working on her Global Government class project with her group consisting of her best friends, Melissa and Em, along with two other kids, Marvin and Wendy. Wendy was a cheerleader and Marvin, though a geek, was president of the Superheroes of the World fan club, that was pretty popular with most of the student body. Megan hadn't been able to join the cheerleaders like she wanted to, but was hopeful to try out next year; despite protests from Em and Melissa who said the Bumblebees were not that great. "Can you pass the glue stick? I need to finish assembling this diagram. I think our teacher will really like our color coded map."

"I know. Who knew there were still so many countries ruled by monarchies in the world? I really like your attention to detail Em. Our map even has tiny island nations on it and what their current political government is and their leaders!" Melissa admired, as she sorted through the pictures they were going to use as visual aids. She was wearing a stylish low cut top and short refurbished denim skirt and arm sleeves with high tops.

Em was in her usual flamboyant, but hard core edge punk look. She and Wendy were busy finishing up their paper accompaniment. Em pointed out a spelling error and Wendy fixed it. "Hey Marvin, do you need anymore current data for the presentation?"

"Nah, I got enough facts about recent events along with some background for each of use to share. I wanted to add a couple of facts about how heroes throughout the ages have helped shape the political field but you know Mr. Carr. He really wants to have "real facts" not a hodgepodge of fanfare."

"Well, this is going to count as a big part of final grade and we need to be able to present to the class facts they can use on the final tests. Failure of this class could seriously jeopardize our chances of moving on to our final year and that's something I want. I already had to repeat Freshman Statistics I don't need to repeat Junior Global Governments," Em warned the fan boy. "So are you and Wendy going to dance together? I mean you are item right?"

"Dude, that is so embarrassing! Wendy and I are just friends right Wendy?" Marvin stammered blushing red, while Wendy hid her face. The truth was she was hoping Marvin would ask her, but now he was too embarrassed. Guess she would have to take the initiative.

"Em, that wasn't very nice. Marvin and I _are_ going to the dance together, but just as friends. I can't wait though. I heard the student body not only hired a really good DJ, but have some new colored and strobe lights to dance to! It's going to be exciting!" Wendy said, giving Marvin a pointed look to shut up and just follow her lead.

"Um, yeah and I can't wait to taste the food. Mrs. Frank is going to make her world famous chocolate death brownies to eat! Oh, one taste of those and you'll be in heaven!"

"I'm totally going to go shopping at a thrift store and revamp a dress! Not only will it be chic and environmentally healthy, but I can submit it for my final project in Life Skills. So Meg is your boyfriend bumpkin going to fly in because if he is you're going to need a new dress," Melissa told the frazzled Martian.

"Melissa, he's not a bumpkin! Connor is the sweetest and kindest soul you've ever met and yes he's going to fly in. I would love to go dress shopping with you later this week, but right now Mr. Carr is giving us the look. We better get back to work."

It was a bit later at Midway High, both Shania and Kaldur were copying down notes on the Impersonal and Personal use of Se in Spanish, which would appear on the collective final of everything they studied that year. Kaldur was at a bit of disadvantage because he hadn't been in school that long, but the teachers marveled how quickly he picked up the language. It wasn't as hard for the young Atlantian, who had special permission to wear clothing that hid his web fingers and gills, to learn a second surface language after mastering English.

"_Se__ maneja despacio cuando nieva es impersonal porque el tema es desconocido. En español, este tipo de sentencia es formado usando se y la tercera persona singular. Utilice siempre la 3ª persona singular con Impersonal. Declaraciones personales son activas y sobre un tema conocido. Ejemplo: Aprendo español. Se trata en la final."_

_"Si Maestra!"_

_"Clase__ socio y práctica utilizando las penas se impersonal y personal. Voy a ser todo ayudar a cualquiera que tenga problemas_."

Of course Shania and Kaldur paired up. Shania still was having trouble with getting a good grasp on the language, but Kaldur was patient and together they worked through their difficulties. At one point Shania glanced around to make sure Maestra Bailey was distracted before she started asking Kaldur some questions.

__¿Así__ que va al baile conmigo pase lo que pase? Excelente Jordona y mi compañero de equipo verde Levina pensando haciendo un triple de esta fecha. Jordana está saliendo con Gregor y Levina pidió a uno chico llamado Elkan a la danza. Podríamos comer la cena mini que están sirviendo antes de bailar. ¿Le gustaría Kaldur?__

_"No__ me importa, estoy realmente amigos con Elkan. Es una buena persona y le gusta el pescado. Mera reina está ordenando me vaya y quiero ir con ustedes pase lo que pase. Sólo tengo que tener cuidado de algunas cosas en Atlantis, pero prometo que vamos a tener una noche romántica. maestra Bailey viene! Volar a rápido." _

Maestra Bailey smiled and encouraged her students to practice a bit more. Both heroes let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't heard him talk about Atlantis and continued with the activity. They would talk more when it was safer.

Zairia was being a clock watcher wondering how much longer she had to sit here and listen, as Sister Mary Roberts went on about the Saints and their accomplishments, and why it was important to celebrate their Saints Days. Sister Mary Roberts was just telling them all about her favorite saint; Saint Cecillia the Patron of Musicians. She sounded like an incredible woman, having survived so many attempts to kill her only to become a heavenly saint. Also, she really blessed people who played her instruments like the harpschord and violin, but Zairia couldn't carry a tune underground and was just waiting for the bell to ring so they could go to lunch.

"How much longer do I have to endure this?" Zairia muttered. She respected and admired her Mother's faith, but it wasn't meant for her. The peace she felt when she was in her circle, welcoming the Triple Moon Goddess and her consort the Horn King, made her feel safe. Mass and confessions didn't. She looked up as a note landed on her desk. She glanced to her right where Eunice Trix, a petite blond with big green and an affinity for animals, was sitting. She and Zairia had become sort of friends sharing a couple of the same interests. She gave her a look encouraging to look at the note.

Zairia opened it and had to suppress a giggle. It was a picture of giant bunny hopping on a nun with a watch saying class was running late. It was a cute cartoon and she hid it before it was confiscated. The bell rang and the two teens gathered their books. "That was a funny cartoon. I really liked it."

"Hey, sometimes you need something to pass the time. I'm all for learning about the Saints. I mean I named after the mother of one, but sometimes Sister Mary Robert just drones on and on to much. I swear, "Sister Act", is her favorite movie! I can't wait for school to be over already. Ugh, my mom is driving me nuts. At least I can look forward to the dance. I need to shake some booty!"

"Yeah, my friend Bettie Kane is coming as my special guest. She's never been to a Catholic school dance before. She goes to a special athletic magnet school to improve her tennis game near Gotham. She likes it a lot better then Gotham Academy, which she use to go to before she got her sports scholarship. She's one of the top students there; second only to girl named Duscha Romanoff whose here on a student visa. Apparently they don't have a lot of top tennis coaches in Siberia."

"I can totally picture that in my mind. Just remind her to wear regulation skirt length when she comes. Come on, I hope they aren't serving tuna surprise again."

Back in Happy Harbor, Taji was eating lunch with some of his friends. The boys were talking excitedly about how they were looking forward to graduation and moving on to high school next year. Their graduation ceremony was going to take place the night after the dance at Gotham Academy. Taji was looking forward to graduation. His Mom was very proud of him and so was his Dad, who would be attending in spirit form, maybe even Nabu as well. It was an exciting time for the former Project.

"Hey Taji, are you awake in there? Stop daydreaming man and focus! What could be more important then planning our graduation party?" Xylon asked his buddy. The brown hair lad was Taji's best civilian friend, who also shared his interest in exploring cultural heritage. "If I didn't know better, I say you were acting love struck. You got a girlfriend I don't know about?"

"Xylon, you know I don't swing that way. I'm proud of being gay even if others don't think it's a hot idea," Taji retorted. The others at the table started protesting they weren't bashers and reminded him they were all members of the local GLBT chapter; promoting awareness and rights. Xylon was the most vocal and finally Taji relented. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind besides graduation. I was invited to go to a dance with a friend of mine who lives in Gotham."

"Seriously, that's like hundred of miles away! If the crime doesn't get you, I'm sure the smog will. Still, it could be exciting. So is your friend of the male persuasion and are you interested in him? You are and judging by your expression, he's well off and maybe in the closet about his feelings. Tell you what; I'll help you get ready for this dance if you help me plan our graduation party. Deal?"

"Deal!"

Meanwhile in Central City, lunch was over for Wally and right now he was stuck in Chemistry class working on some complex formulas. Normally Chemistry was a cinch for him because of how he got his powers, but at the moment his brain was still racing with tons of thoughts from all the books he read recently. His brain was overloaded and he kept messing up his formulas. He groaned and put his head down for a second trying to get his thoughts together. The formulas would be on the final and he needed to be ready for anything. "Ugh, my head hurts so badly. I need an aspirin."

"I say go to the nurse, but she doesn't have that brand of medication in stock. I notice you have a lot of headaches lately Wally. Have you seen a doctor about them? Maybe something's wrong with your head, or, those crazy people who abducted you a couple months ago did something to you," Wally's partner, Illan, suggested. The slightly chubby Hispanic teen looked at Wally with concern. No one knew the true extent of what the Light did to Wally, only that he'd been among the hundreds captured and held hostage during the Light's assault on the world.

"Thanks for the concern, but I've already seen the doctor for my headaches. He just prescribed some pain relief and that was it. Maybe it's the stress of finals and the dance that's getting to me. Do these look right to you?"

"Yeah I think so, ugh, I hope that Mr. Freches doesn't ask us to brew anything this complex for the final. Chemistry is my worst subject. I can totally pass my Auto Mechanics class with my eyes closed, but this one I'm going to need all the help I can get. Think you could tutor me?"

"I don't know, I'm busy with a lot of stuff."

"Oh come on West, I need some charity. If you help me with Chemistry I'll owe you a big favor. You just name it."

"Well I do need help picking out a gift to give my girlfriend. You have three sisters right? So you must have a good idea of what to get a girl for a gift. Alright, I'll help you out with Chemistry in exchange for shopping advice."

"Thanks, I really owe you one."

"Hey, I'm just trying to do my good deed for the month."

Over in Gateway City, Athena was in Music class with Sasha. They listened to their classmate, Odette, give her report on the rise of jazz and blue music in the southern part of the United States. The platinum hair, green eyed, freckled face beauty was Mrs. Radikee's star pupil in this class. No big surprise, considering Odette was her niece. Athena did enjoy the topic, but thought it was unfair that Odette didn't have to work as hard as the others for a grade in the class.

"In conclusion the blues and jazz music of the south not only created a unity among a suppressed culture, but alter the way we listen and improvise music styles in modern music. Thank you," Odette finished up. She bowed her head and smiled as they applauded her.

"Wonderful report! I really loved how you connected the two styles into one cohesive vision!" Mrs. Radikee clapped. She was grinning broadly and already marking an A in her grade book.

"She's laying it on thick isn't she? She still hasn't heard our reports yet and already Odette's got an A. Its totally unfair," Sasha whispered to her friend.

"I agree with you. Mom says you have to always work for what you want and not take handouts because it makes you weak. Are you sure you want to come with me to the dance at Wally's school? Don't you have Mystyx business to handle?"

"The darkness from the Underworld has been pretty quite lately, so I don't have to worry much. Besides Jenna, Mark, and Natalie can handle anything major and will call if they need me to astral to Lincoln for help. I'm your Guardian Angel, and I need to keep my eye on you for now."

"Sasha, I don't need…"

"Ms. Corwrens! Ms. Prince! Either zip the lip or you'll be serving detention with me. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Mrs. Radikee."

At Gotham Academy, Dick was in his Computer Science class learning how to dissemble and reassemble computers and repair them when they broke down. Honestly, he already knew everything in this class, but it didn't hurt to refresh his mind at least according to Bruce. The teacher, Mr. Nagel, was explaining how to upgrade a computer part that was made in different periods. Most of the students were listening with rapt attention, but Dick caught sight of one student playing with his hand held game. "Psst. Umi put that away. You know that Nagel will make us all stay after if he catches you with that."

"You worry too much Grayson, besides you can't tell me you actually are paying attention to this lesson? It's so mediocre and beneath us," Umi replied. His family had moved from Nigeria to Gotham two years ago. Umi was a whiz when it came to all things electronic, so he rarely paid attention to what the teacher said in this class.

Dick wanted to retort, but saw Mr. Nagel looking in their direction and wisely clammed up. He watched as Mr. Nagel confiscated the game and warned Umi that if he was caught again he wouldn't be allowed to attend the dance. Umi scoffed as if he cared about a stupid dance. Dick shook his head and wondered what Terry was doing. This one of two classes they didn't share.

Terry was in gym class at the moment playing badminton. Nets had been set up all over the gym and the class was divided into pairs playing games. When one team one they moved onto the next court over and the losers stayed put. Terry and his partner had held onto the top spot for the entire period. This game was great hand and eye practice and built up his speed. He ran up and jumped smashing the birdie across the net causing the other team to lose the game. "Great game, you really had us on the ropes."

"You got lucky little boy! Next time we won't go easy on the little ten year old!"

"I'm eleven now not ten. My birthday was at the beginning of the month in case you forgotten," Terry pointed out. He was proud to be eleven, but wished he hit his growth spurt already. He hated being so small! He watched the losers retreat and wondered when he'd earn the class's respect.

Lucas was earning a lot of respect in art class as they worked with clay to create dishes and bowls for their teacher, Mrs. Sarver, to put in the oven. He was using a beautiful brown glaze to finish panting his bowl when he realized that the glaze was empty and he needed more. "Panas, do you have any brown glaze?"

"Yeah, here I'm done with it. It seems you're talented in a lot of different art forms. Is there any art you can't do?" Panas, a black hair and grey eyed classmate asked. He was also a talented artist, but his strengths were more with painting and sketching. Working with clay or carving gave him trouble.

"I'm terrible at calligraphy. According to Nerissa, my handwriting leaves a lot to be desired."

"Your girlfriend from Gotham right? Sweet that you have someone special to do things with. Since I broke up with Mandy I got no one."

"You'll find someone Panas, who wouldn't want an artist like you?"

"That is the universal question Lucas. Let's finish these pots so they can be fired."

It was after school and Nerissa had changed from her school uniform to her casual clothes. She was visiting her friend from Gotham North, Quisha, who was biracial too; only she was half black and half Caucasian. The girls were just talking about plans for the summer when Quisha got fed up with Nerissa rubbing her hidden scars. She was drawing more attention to them by doing that. "Artemis, enough rubbing already! If you keep rubbing you're going to make it worse. They'll heal, just give them time."

"Its Nerissa, not Artemis. Remember I go by my first name now. I'm sorry Quisha, I'm not trying to draw attention it's just that they hurt sometimes."

"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have yelled at you _Nerissa_. That is going to take some getting use to. I thought you were going to the get reconstructive surgery on them to lessen their appearance and improve your mobility."

"I am, but it's not for a couple more weeks and I'm just nervous. Lucas is coming to Gotham to attend my school's dance with me. He's seen me with my scars and he loves me for who I am, but I can't help feeling ugly in his presences especially on night like that. The pictures will be forever."

"So buy gloves to cover them so they won't show. Nerissa, I've known you my whole life and this is a side of you I've never seen before. You need to regain your confidence and pride. Show the world who you are and that you're not someone to be messed with okay?"

Nerissa blinked her artificial eyes, willing herself to see in normal vision. After a second her vision stabilized and the girls got to doing their homework. After all Young Justice had a training session scheduled for later that night. She had to get the bulk of this done.

It was a little after seven when Black Canary arrived at Mount Justice for the training session. She was extremely tired. The League had been working long hours the past few months, cleaning up the remnants of the Light's Empire and trying to prevent the void they left, from being filled by a greater threat. To that extent, they had been making alliances with other hero teams and recruiting new heroes to assist with the load. At the moment, the League was busy tracking suspicious activity by major international crime families, but nothing definite had occurred yet.

"Greetings Black Canary, how are you doing this evening? You appear to be exhausted."

"I just need a few hours rest is all Red. I've been on monitor duty for the past few hours and I got the worst crick in my back. So where are they? I thought they would be eager to train considering how close they are to getting to go on solo missions again."

"Young Justice, is in the main room having a study session in the main room."

"I thought the rule was they had to finish their homework before training."

"They have, this is to help them for their finals and make sure that their homework is correct. The pressure is on them all to do well; especially those who started the school year late. They need to get exceptional grades if they are to move on to the next grade in the fall. Their end of the year dances, along with Taji's graduation celebration, is a driving point for them."

"I can understand that. I know I needed a release valve from training and school when I was younger. Hmm, maybe we should ease up a bit on the training until the end of the term. I'll suggest half sessions to Batman. Until then its training time," Black Canary said. She walked into the main room, where all twelve kids were talking loudly asking each other for help. It was amusing sight to see all of them so worked up. She cleared her throat loudly and the team looked her instantly. "I understand the pressure your under, so we'll cut our session in half for tonight. I'll ease up on the other sessions so you have a chance to relax a bit. Right now, though its time to learn new combat skills. Put your homework away and change into your uniforms meeting me in the simulation room in ten."

Ten minutes later Red Tornado was assisting Black Canary as she placed sensors over Young Justice's bodies. The team had bulked at first and refused to wear them. It reminded them a lot of what the Light had done to them, but Black Canary assured him that this wouldn't be like that. With great consternation they allowed the sensors to be placed on their bodies and waited for instructions.

"What skills are we learning tonight Black Canary? What roles do these sensors play in the exercise?" Aqualad requested, voicing the teams concern. Through the bond they could sense the others fear and confusion. Ever since they had awoken from their coma, they had been able to use their bond to communicate quiet effectively what they were feeling and thinking.

"It's nothing to serious Aqualad. Today's combat training is to teach you what to if your bereft in battle. As you know, injuries sometimes life- threatening, is part of our lives. There a countless incidents when a mission has been jeopardized when a member is injured and unable to escape to safety. Other times escape is not an option and the mission has to come first. Today you will practice fighting injured."

"You're not going to actually cut us up or break our bones are you? That would be child cruelty!" Kid Flash remarked.

"That's what the sensors are for. When the simulation begins the sensors will "numb" parts of your body simulating injuries. As the simulation progress they will worsen. Your task is to defeat all your opponents while injured."

"How do you expect us to do such a task? We've been harmed before and been able to carry on, but not to the extent that you are implying," Green Lantern JR pointed out.

"There are three steps to winning any scuffle no matter how strong your foe is. One: Asses your strengths and adapt to the situation. Even if your hurt and bleeding internally, you can push through the pain using the adrenaline rush to give you a few minutes to do major damage. Two: Be hyper vigilant about your surroundings, your opponent and yourself. Awareness will save your life every time. Three: Make sure your foe underestimates you. If they think you're unable to fight they'll let their guard down. Now let's start. You're going to be fighting a group of random villains. All you have to do to end the simulation is knock them out. Is everyone ready?"

"Ready!"

"Okay let's begin. Red Tornado start the simulation please." The room flickered and suddenly they found themselves on a deserted college campus at night time with most of the street lights off. The sensors activated and the group had to suppress a groan as the numbing sensation took over. Their injuries varied to degree and type. Before they could assess what was going on an explosion went off, scattering them into three groups of four, all over the campus.

Aqualad, who was fighting both poisoning and deep lacerations to his torso, was joined by Superboy, Huntsmark, and lastly Green Lantern JR. All three of them were hurt too. Superboy sensors had made it so he was feeling the effects of Kryptonite making him extremely weak and in pain. Huntsmark had a broken right wrist and sever bruising all over her body that showed despite her Pseudoderm. GL JR had a concussion coupled with severe vertigo. He barely managed to summon a shield to protect the group as they were under attack by the murdering professor Weasel.

"Stay strong team, we can still ugh, beat him. We outnumber him and he doesn't have any powers," Aqualad commanded. Activating his water bearers, he formed a whip of water and whipped it out to attack the villain, but he was so weak his whip fell apart before it even reached the target. Huntsmark fired her weapon on her uninjured wrist, but the killer simply used his incredible agility to duck under and deliver a swift right hook to her face knocking the girl back several feet and giving her a black eye.

Superboy and Green Lantern JR tried to tag team him. Superboy touched the pathway and willed his TK to work. He wanted the entire cobblestone path to levitate in the air, but in his weakened state he only managed to only get a few bricks. His pathetic attack was smashed to bits by Weasel. The man was about to do a chock hold on the weakened Kryptonian when he was stopped by a green fist. He looked at the young teen snorting. "You're a weak and pathetic excuse for a hero. Its time for me to finish you off once and for all. "

"Bring it on killer," GL. JR. challenged weakly. He hoped the others were doing a lot better then their group was.

Batboy, Fate's Dagger, Artemis, and Kid Flash were not having a very good time. Artemis nearly had a panic attack when she discovered her injury was temporary blindness coupled with a twisted ankle. Kid Flash had the worst luck that his leg was broken and kept breaking as his heightened metabolism tried to fix it with no success. Fate's Dagger was unable to speak and was breathing badly as he relived the pain of having scorched lungs. Batboy was dealing with an imaginary bullet wound to the shoulder. He was thankful his suit was radiation proof as they fought the Atomic Skull. The group barely managed to get out of the way as he hurled radioactive blasts at them.

"Artemis, can you shoot him with a foam arrow?" Batboy demanded launching a fray of batarangs. He grabbed his shoulder in pain, wondering how his Dad managed to go on when he'd been shot. The group had taken refuge behind some memorial statues trying their best not to be killed.

"No! I can't figure out where he is and I can't get into a proper stance!"

"Fate's, Kid Flash, can either of you do anything?"

Fate's Dagger shook his head grabbing at his painful throat. He tried to summon some magic, but his body was in to much pain. He unsheathed his tanto ready to try that when a new injury hit him as he felt a sharp pain in his gut. He was bleeding internally. Kid Flash wasn't much better, though he tried to cover them with his arms creating storms to halt the radioactive blast.

The last group of Wonder Girl, Hawklady, Miss Martian, and Robin were not having much luck either. They were fighting against Dr. Polaris and Robin's birdarangs were worthless; not that it matter much. The only male in the group was not doing so hot considering his high fever and welts all over his body. It appeared the simulation was trying to replicate an intense allergic reaction. His teammates where not having much luck fighting Dr. Polaris either.

Hawklady couldn't use her bo staff and was dealing with intense hypothermia that not even her fire powers seem to warm up. Miss Martian was fighting the pain of burns and Wonder Girl was in pain as her nervous system seemed to be under attack. How were they going to win this fight?

Watching the simulation, Red Tornado voiced some concern to Black Canary. "Are you sure that you didn't put the sensors on to high of a level for their first session? They are still in somewhat of a fragile state, correct?"

"They're fine, if they can wake from a coma and rehab as fast as they did, then they can deal with this. I know it seems cruel, but they have to be ready for anything and the villains are low ranked on the League's watch list. They won't disappoint us."

Black Canary's words proved true as her students took her lessons to heart and fought back. The first group used the adrenaline to mask the pain long enough for a group effort and the Weasel was bag and tagged. The second group used their surroundings and each other to capture their opponent and the last group let their target get in close before snatching a victory. As the simulation ended she clapped her hands ignoring the glares she was getting from Young Justice. "Very good, for your first time you excelled. I know your unhappy and feel like I put you at a disadvantage. The truth is I did it on purpose. My teacher, Wildcat, never went easy on me, always forcing me to go past my limits; even if I was too tired or hurt to go on. He did it to prepare me for the future just as I am doing for you. Your foes will not give you any mercy and you need to be ready for anything. Since you did so well I'm canceling training for the rest of the week. Go home and rest up."

Young Justice nodded and hurried to change. That training session had been the most intense they had undergone ever. So although they were angry they also were pleased. This meant that maybe soon the team would be doing solo missions again.


	3. Male Preperations

While Young Justice was struggling with balancing their civilian lives with their hero responsibility, a new craze had been sweeping the globe that was concerning parents everywhere and annoying teachers, who had been extra busy confiscating hand held games and phones while blocking gaming sites. Back in February, a new RPG had launched itself on the Internet, but it wasn't until the start of March, that it really took off with it new upgrades and special features.

The game was called, "Second Hero Fantasy Life." It was unbelievable, with the latest in graphic technology that allowed the user to use scans and photos, to help create and design custom made avatars. It was accessible by players all over the globe. It could be played on any game system: handhelds, X Box, the computer, ect. The feel was so realistic that players literally felt they were in the game. The game was set in the real world with real time changes being made as news and events could be used to alter the games life. The creators had even made it so the players could go to known planets and have lives there and interact with versions of known heroes. There were places for chats, live interaction, and you could even perform transactions that affected the real world. Best of all, you could still access your social websites through the game at anytime. Both your character profile and personal information was secured behind the latest security encryption to protect the players from harm. Players from all over could form their own teams, work as solo heroes, or join known organizations. There was so much to see and do, everyone seemed to be having a good time that they became addicted. It was quickly becoming more popular then Farmville.

Of course, not everyone played the game, considering you had to be at least fourteen to play. None of the members of Young Justice had the time or energy to build up an online profile and life; besides they already were living the game. But they knew a lot of people who did play and it was getting annoying watching so many gamers zoned out. Especially, when those gamers were suppose to be helping them out with preparing for their night to remember. Honestly, real life seemed more interesting then whatever virtual construct other kids had come up with.

It was Wednesday afternoon, and Taji was with his friend, Xylon, having a snack in his house. His Kaa-san was still at work at the university and he had stashed the Helmet of Fate in the basement safe to keep it from being stolen or messed with. He pulled out a box of Poxy chocolate his Kaa-san had imported from Japan and offered some to Xylon. The boy was barely paying attention as he randomly grabbed some chocolate. He kept his eyed glued to his hand held game. He was playing, "Second Hero Fantasy Life" with gusto. He popped the super sweet candy into his mouth only to have his eyes start watering. He raced over to the sink and started gulping down water, his game abandoned on the floor.

"That's what you get for not paying attention to what you were doing. Xylon-kun, you promised to help me prepare for my, um date; if I helped you plan the graduation party. How can we accomplish anything if you're fooling around with this stupid game?" Taji questioned, picking up the device only to have it snatched from his hands by Xylon.

The boy looked all over to assure his precious game wasn't damaged before signing off. "SHFL is _not a stupid game._ It's a chance for ordinary humans such as us, to live out the lives that we've always wanted, without the possibility of facing certain death. My avatar is called the Gray Figure. My avatar is dressed in grey and light lavender with wild white hair. Gray Figure has special jumping powers and can shoot beams from the horns on the mask. I've been saving lives all over Greece for days! My point status has really gone up."

"I thought there was no such thing as points in a RPG."

"This is different, these are status points. The more popular and powerful you become, the more access you have to restricted sections of the game. Rumor has it the highest scores get to meet the games designers and win a special prize!"

"Still sounds a bit sketchy to me. I'm beginning to think you'd rather be living your avatar life then helping me. I guess we know what theme you were planning for the celebration. Shouldn't be a big surprise really."

"That is a great suggestion! Everyone could come in costume and we could have glow sticks and play the game. The best hero could win a little trophy! I'll have to talk to my mom about getting tons of glow items and stuff. You really have great ideas. So let's work on you shall we? What are you wearing for your date?"

"My Kaa-san has been working hard on this. She's nearly finished hemming it. What do you think?" He asked, pulling out a beautiful dark blue kimono with black trim from the closet. There was also the traditional footwear that went with it. It was made of soft comfortable material. Taji couldn't wait to wear it to the dance and under his graduation robes. He frowned as he noticed the disturbed expression on Xylon's face. "Is something wrong with my attire? I love this kimono."

"It's a nice outfit, but aren't you worried about how your date will react? I mean its prep school dance with kids in fancy suits and dresses. If you show up in that get up your bound to get a lot of strange looks."

"I'm proud of my culture heritage and I want to share it with Dick. He has no problems with my mixed heritage and I don't care what his snobbish classmates think of me. I thought you would understand how much this means to me. My Kaa-san had this shipped all the way from her ancestral home. It was meant for someone else before it became mine."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is I want to wear this to show how much it means to me that she would mend this for me. Mending a kimono is a huge undertaking and takes a lot of time to complete. Her efforts should be rewarded."

"I can understand that. Okay so your outfit is a go. You have great manners so that's not a problem. I think we should work on how you react and handle people's reaction to you being gay. You get very huffy and defensive if anyone trashes you or your friends. If this Dick, is in denial or uncertain if he's just experimenting, you need to know how to handle the situation. You don't want to get thrown out of a prep school now do you?"

"No, but I am not huffy! Okay, maybe a little," Taji admitted. The teens sat down on the mats and started rehearsing the different situations. It was difficult for Taji to handle some of the cruel words Xylon had to say, but it was necessary if he was to handle Dick's trust fund friends. He just had to dig down deep to his English heritage and be respectful.

In Central City, Wally was ready to give up on searching for the perfect gift for Athena. Not only did he have to get something she would like; it also had to be something that Wonder Woman wouldn't stomp him to death over. Illan had been a big help suggesting small figurines, clothes, even make up and jewelry as present; although those had been shot down for a variety reasons. They were taking a break at an internet café so Wally could wallow in misery while Illan updated his SHFL profile and HQ.

"I'm doomed! I promised Athena a night she'd remember forever including the best present ever! What am I suppose to do? Win her something at some of the games booths that will be set up? That's way to cliché," Wally moaned. The dance would not only have good music and food/drink, but a few booths of games would be set up to have fun and win small prizes. The money would be used to help supplement the student government budget for next year.

"Would you calm down, we're going to find a great present for your girl. Just let me finish and there. Now we can get free drinks because I just finished upgrading the café's security system, sort of, in the game. This transaction equals free orange soda. Thank you. Here take a sip. Now, will you tell me what was wrong with our previous selections? I thought your girlfriend liked music and Disney stuff."

"She does, but it's her parents we have to worry about. Her mom may appear to be a mild mannered museum curator, but she's got royal bloodline from a long ago ancestor so she expects the best. Her father happens to be one of the riches men in the world."

"Really, I didn't know that. Hmm, and I suppose it's too late to back out of the dance correct?" Illan asked. He was trying not to laugh at Wally's dramatics. After all he was his tutor in chemistry. "Okay I get the picture. I think I know something that won't send you to an early grave and that your girl will like. It's in a shop not far from here."

"Its not to expensive is it? I'm kinda short on cash right now."

"No, it's not too expensive and I think you'll like it," Illan assured the red head. He logged off the computer and took Wally to a nearby thrift store. He had to literally drag the teen in here, who was nervous about getting something second hand. Illan showed him the item he thought Athena would like and Wally nearly bawled with relief. No way would Wonder Woman try to kill him if he gave Athena this! He quickly paid for the item, having it gift wrapped before the two boys headed to his house. After all Wally promised to tutor Illan. He was going to make sure his new buddy got an A on the final exam.

In Blackthorn, Lucas was wondering what flowers he should give Nerissa. He understood this wasn't prom, but he still thought that a bouquet of flowers would be a nice gesture towards the archer. He understood that lately she had become very self conscience of how she looked, due to the cruel remarks of her classmates. He was determined to order the most beautiful bouquet, but was unsure what to do put in it. He wished his Dad or Uncle were here, or even his Mother, but they were all at work. Regular work, not hero work not that it mattered really.

"Hey Lucas, fancy meeting you here! I didn't know you liked flowers," Panas said, he came over wearing the floral shop uniform. The young artist seemed slightly out of place amongst all the floral displays. "Looking for an arraignment for you girlfriend?"

"Yes I am. I'm surprised to see you here Panas. Do you work here?"

"Yeah, my aunt and uncle own the shop and my mom says it helps keep me active. She thinks I spend too much time in my room painting or playing online games. I need to get more fresh air or I'm going to end up with diseased lungs according to her. So, what kind of flowers are you looking for?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm just trying to figure out how to tell her that I love her and that she's beautiful no matter what."

"Hmm, come with me the language of flowers can be tricky. Alright, first we are going to pick a few calla lilies which stand for magnificent beauty. A single strand of achillea for healing and comfort because you said Nerissa was hurting. A mix of honey flowers for generous affection, and oh, you need at least two kennedia for intellectual beauty. We'll finish it up with a wind flower for sincerity. Now I loop them, push them back and well this bouquet will be ready to be given to your girl next week. I'll keep it on hold and tend to it. Just call me Green Thumb."

"Thank Panas, here's some cash to collect the order. You were a real big help."

"It's no big deal. I do anything for a fellow artist. Just return the favor sometime and we'll call it even deal?"

"Deal."

In Atlantis, Kaldur finally had Tula tutoring him; unfortunately it was teaching him to dance while Garth watched amused and trying not to laugh. Underwater dancing was a favorite pastime of many Atlantians, who were graceful and fluid with their movements, but Kaldur was not one of them. For his entire battle prowess, he was unable to dance a single step without getting stuck or tripping over his own feet. This could be mission impossible.

"Maybe you should give up Tula; I don't think he'll ever get it. We've been at this for the past two hours," Garth gaffed; amused once again his best friend got his feet tangled as Tula demonstrated a simple two step turn. "He's never going to have the fluidity to pull this off."

"Nice way to support us Garth! Come on Kaldur, I know you can get this. We Atlantians are graceful dancers; it's in your blood! As your Guardian Angel I refuse to give up on you."

"Tula, perhaps Garth is correct in his observations. I have never been graceful except in battle. I just don't have the precise control to perform such small maneuvers. Not only that, these dance steps are for underwater and the dance is on land. I will not be able to perform them with the same grace and beauty. Oof!" Kaldur was caught off guard when Tula shoved a condescended ball of water into his chest. He looked at her pointedly wondering why she did that.

"I never knew you were a quitter Kaldur! I thought this dance was important to you! A chance to socialize and learn more about human teenagers and spend time with Shania! You told us how your school is having a raffle to give away prizes and that you hoped to win one to have something of the surface world for yourself. You are the leader of team of teen heroes and soon to be big brother to the heir of the throne. Kaldur'ahm does not quit when it's hard! I'm going to transform you into a decent dancer if it's the last thing I do! So pay attention! Garth, get over here right now!"

"Yes ma'me. You better watch closely Kaldur. She's not going to demonstrate this again."

"This is a good slow dance. First, you place your hand just below the small of her back, as Garth is doing. Then, your hand goes on her arm just like this. Then, you spread your feet apart like this and slowly sway. Then one two three, three two one," Tula instructed as she and Garth started to dance. Kaldur watched their feet as they swam about in small circles holding each other close. At one point Garth started twirling her about and then he performed some small steps by himself. They were both truly graceful.

"Now you try it," Tula encouraged him. Kaldur was about to attempt the dance when his waterproof, special pressurized, communicator pinged. Curious, he opened it and saw he had a video message from Elkin. The dark haired youth was standing outside a clothes rental shop. "Hey, I thought we were going clothes shopping today! I'll be waiting for you at the rental store for a half an hour. If you don't show or call, I'll assume something came up. Bye!"

"I completely forgot I promised Elkin I would go with to the tux rental place with him! Thank you for the lesson, we'll have to continue it later! I have to go now!" Kaldur called out as he swam towards the transporter. His oldest friends shook their heads before resuming their romantic dance.

In Gotham, Alfred was picking up Dick, who had been forced to stay after school and clean all the computer labs with the rest of his Computer Science class. Mr. Nagel had caught not only Umi, but several other students playing, "SHFL", while they were supposed to be working on debugging computers. He had been so angry he ordered the whole class to stay behind and help care for the expensive computers. As Alfred watched, he saw young Master Dick was coming out of the building talking to a young lady with short brown hair and eyes. She was very animated and smiling brightly, giggling at something he said. Master Dick was looking embarrassed and flushing. She said something to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before bouncing off towards home. Dick entered the limo refusing to look Alfred in the eye. "Is something wrong young Master? Who was that charming young lady?"

"That's Anne Claymore. Her parents are on city council and she's in a lot of my classes. My friends, especially Adam, told me she has the biggest crush on me and wanted me to take her to the dance. She cornered me during detention, and well now, she thinks we're going to the dance together."

"Oh, and what of young Master Taji? I thought that you invited him to the dance as your date. I was under the impression you were taking your relationship to the next level."

"We are! I mean, I did, I mean I invited him to be my date; it's just complicate Alfred. I mean, lately I'm not sure how I feel about anything. All my life I admired girls and thought they were cool. Then suddenly puberty hits and I also note some interesting features in boys. My first real love interaction was dealing with Zairia's and Taji's advances! I didn't know what to do! I do enjoy spending a lot of time with Taji and think he's great, but I'm still attracted to girls while I'm with him. I'm just not sure if I should be in a romantic relationship if I'm this confused," Dick admitted.

"It appears to me you that your sexual orientation is not as set as you thought it was. I'm not that shocked. You're young and still trying to figure out who you want to be with, but rest assured young Master, no matter what your choices are both I and Master Bruce will stand by you. I have known many of people who were of the GLBT community who have led productive lives. The only advice I can give, is that you don't lead on either Ms. Claymore or Mr. Nelson. It wouldn't be very gentlemen like of you to play with their hearts."

"I understand Alfred. Don't ess so much. I'll figure this love triangle out faster than any trig problem. So, is Terry at home?"

"Master Terry is with Miss Madison at her house. Ace and Rex had a play date although, I'm sure that it was subterfuge for Madison to dress up your brother."

At the McGinnis house, the five month old puppies were rolling around in the backyard and playing tug of war with a rope. Neither puppy wanted to give an inch. Madison and Terry were watching from the living room, while Mr. McGinnis watched, amused from his computer desk, as his daughter attempted to find an outfit for Terry to wear to the dance. She had found a box of Matt's old clothes in the hall closet and was holding them up to the boy nixing all of them.

"No, this one's too frumpy. Ugh this one totally drowns you out. Oh and Max will definitely not like this one. Ugh, why couldn't Matt have kept better care of these clothes?" Madison asked disgusted as she tossed more clothes into the reject pile. She was determined to find her half brother the perfect outfit to impress his date.

"Is this really necessary Madison? I mean it's not a date we're only preteens! I wouldn't even be allowed at the dance if I was in fifth like Max. The dance is for the junior high and high school kids. I had to get special permission to take Max to the dance. It's going to be a good one with food, games, and great music."

"Sounds super, which is why you need the perfect outfit! Clothes make the man. Take your dad for example; he's got woman falling all over him because of his sharp clothing!"

"Madison, I don't think talking about his father's exploits is the best way to help your little friend out. It's nice that you want to recycle old clothing. Hmm, if I recall correctly, Matt might have an old tux he wore to my sister wedding in his closet that would fit you Terry. I'll go see if he has it," Warren said kindly. He walked down the hall and knocked on his son's room. "Matt? Are you in there? Matt? Open this door right now!"

Warren command was ignored and he forced his way into his teenage son's room frowning at the mess and smell of garbage. Matt really needed to clean this place. He saw his son with a headset pounding the keyboard as he played that new online game he liked. He designed his avatar to be a Meta version of him with incredible speed, strength, and night vision called Night Owl. "Take that you scum bag. Oh, you didn't just- kapow and boom your teeth are gone oh yeah! I scored big points."

"Ahem."

"Oh hi Dad, I didn't hear you come in. What do you want? Do you need me to watch the brats for awhile?" Matt asked lazily. His eyes kept darting to the computer screen where his avatar was riding a moped back to his secret HQ. He was quite anxious to get back to his heroics.

"No, I came in to ask if you still had that suit you wore to your Aunt Lucy's wedding. I was thinking we could give it to Terry to wear for his first dance."

"Why can't his rich daddy just buy him a new one? I thought he was too good for my leftovers."

"I don't like your tone of voice young man. It's good to donate old clothing instead of throwing it away to pile up in a junk heap," Warren remarked as he made his way to the closet. He opened it up and found an old black tux in the back that looked to be the right size for a young preteen. "It seems to be in good condition. It needs to be cleaned, but I'm sure Mr. Pennyworth can take it to the cleaners."

"Better yet, let's have Mom do it. She's after all, practically adopted the little kid and made him one of the family. Madison obviously loves the little intruder making him her unofficial twin. Heck, even Rex thinks he belongs here. That little rich boy has a lot of nerve playing our family like this. I wouldn't be surprised if Mom's forgotten that she has two real kids or that you're her husband and not the playboy."

"Matthew Lawrence McGinnis that is enough! You shouldn't speak so poorly of your mother or your sister's friend. Your mother works hard every day to help improve the lives of children and it should be no surprise she cares about the well being of young boy who lost his mother. Madison enjoys spending time with Terry because they are good friends and I find the boy to be remarkably smart and kind. He doesn't flaunt his status at all if you would take the time to get to know him."

"Whatever Dad, be blind to the truth. Something is up about that kid. I'm going to find out what and expose it for the world to see."

"You're grounded mister. No TV, computer, or going out with friends. You come straight home and do your chores and homework. Don't argue. We'll talk about this later." Warren left his son's room and headed to the living room to give Terry the suit, wondering why Matt was so jealous of the preteen.

Terry wasn't the only one getting a make over and lessons in etiquette. Connor was at the local clothes rental store with his Grandpa and Chad being fitted for a suit to wear to the dance. His Grandpa was explaining to the young hybrid about how to properly act at a school function and not lose his temper, as he was measured for a suit. Chad would have been offering advice, but he was playing a game on his phone. "I feel ridiculous in this suit. It's to confining!"

"That's why a tailor is taking your measurements so it fits better. Stop worrying so much Connor. You're going to look nice for Megan. Now remember, even though this isn't a formal dance you should be a perfect gentlemen and that means not getting into fights with other kids. You're a guest at her school and don't need to cause trouble for her."

"I know Grandpa I know! Ugh, I never knew there was so much preparation into going to a dance ugh! Chad I thought you said you would help me!" Connor whined. Chad looked up from his game and pocketed the phone. "What is so interesting that you can't focus for ten minutes on me?"

"Geez, when did you turn into a diva? Kidding! I was updating my status on this game I play. It's really cool. It's called Second Hero Fantasy Life. I could totally setup an account for you! We'd be partners saving the digital world from the menaces of society," Chad remarked happily.

"No thanks, I get enough of that already."

"What? You're already playing? Who's your avatar?"

"No, that's not what I meant I…"

"Perhaps we can leave behind the talk of fantasy lives and focus on what matters most. Now Chad, what color do you think the suit should be?" Jonathon asked deflecting the questioning. He held up swatches of cloths the tailor had left them. "Do you like, black, red, or blue?"

"You should go with the blue it will match his eyes. Maybe give him some bling so he doesn't look like a stiff. So you taking her to dinner or are they serving good food?"

"There going to have a mixed assortment of food and drinks along with some games and a photo booth. Megan's really excited about that. She wants us to take tons of pictures."

"Probably for her, I Love Connor Kent scrapbook I bet. Try not to squirm so much and just relax. It's an end of the year dance; its going to be wild. Kids will be blowing off a lot of steam with finals being over and the start of summer. If kids get to rowdy just put them in their place."

"That doesn't mean hit them young man. It means you talk to them or tell a chaperone. Well that should do it. We'll pick up your suit later this week. Right now we need to get home and help your grandmother with the chores. Can we drop you off somewhere Chad?"

"Nah, I can walk home from here. Hey Connor chill already bro. You have the clothes; you have a gift for the girl, now all you need is to decide if you're getting her a flower and how to not embarrass yourself on the dance floor. I have your back bro count on it."

"I better Chad or you're going to be suffering the worst noogie ever," Connor joked. Chad laughed and ducked under Connor's outstretched hand. The two boys' fist bumped and Grandpa Kent was smiling happy that his grandson was developing so well after the traumatic year he had. This dance was a reward for all his efforts to find his place in the world. He would miss him when he moved in with Clark in Metropolis, but the boy needed to be with his father more. As he drove back to the farm he was wondering what Clark, or should he say Superman, was up to at the moment.

At the moment Superman along with Batman, Wonder Woman, Black Canary and Green Arrow were at a tech depot, Warehouse X, where stolen or villain designed tech, was stored and studied after it had been confiscated by the government. The tech had a lot of potential to be used for good, but its use was closely monitored by members of both, the UN and hero community, to make sure it wasn't mishandled. There were at least two hero representatives stationed here at all times to make sure the tech wasn't used for nefarious purposes. At the moment, the two heroes on duty were Plastic Man and Guardian. Plastic Man was showing Batman and Green Arrow the scene of the crime while Black Canary talked with the security teams. Wonder Woman was being the diplomat with the government officials playing nice while Guardian debriefed Superman on what was missing from the storage facilities.

"We didn't realize that the tech was missing until we started inventory this morning. According to the log records, the storage garages were accessed three nights ago by one of the senior staff. We investigated him and found that someone had stolen his code and prints to get into the garage. It's been determined they stole one of our semis and managed to get off the lot by the back way. I can't tell you how bad this looks for us."

"What exactly was stolen from the garages?"

"Mostly equipment confiscated from the Cadmus/Light Project research labs. We're talking biopods, computers, robots, and power converters. There were also crates of items yet to be labeled and identified that we're in the mists of processing. I can tell you that tech is worth a lot on the black market; however only a select few have a clue how to operate it. The Light was very sensitive about who handled their tech. They were afraid someone might steal it because of how advance it is."

"Yes, I notice that before too. Its years beyond anything we've come across or developed on Earth. For all we know it could have alien origins. This doesn't sit well. We've only just begun to undo the Light's empire and now someone wants to bring it back. Do you have any ideas what the materials were used for?"

"I was paid and used for security; I wasn't privileged too much of their research. That was the scientists and researchers area of expertise. I can call around see if any of the old scientists know what the materials were used for if you like."

"Please do and keep us informed if anything else goes missing. Thanks," Superman said. He walked over to where Wonder Woman was finishing her conversation with the government liaison. She looked extremely frustrated and that she wanted to punch someone in the face and then stomp on them. He gave her a reassuring smile. "What did he have to say?"

"Not much, according to him it was confidential. The UN is keeping quiet, but I was able to pull out a few facts. The US tech depot wasn't the only one with missing property. Several Warehouses around the globe have been hit. The only connection with them all was that the property was stolen was part of the Light's R&D department. This is very bad."

"I have to agree. The news of the stolen tech, coupled with the fact someone tried to hack our files and steal the hard copies on the Light's activities, spells trouble. You think the Light's avatars are behind this?"

"There still in Federal Lockup in a coma with no signs of waking up or using their former powers to manipulate anyone. We've been cracking down on anyone who had any connection with the Light for nearly four months now. The Green Lantern Corp confirmed that the Light of Destruction and Darkness of Purity were contained in their celestial star pool. I have to be honest Kal, this seems like a new power is filling the void that the Light left behind."

"That would be consistent with what the security tapes revealed. Even though they wore masks, they were able to determine that the thieves were ordinary humans carrying a lot of gun power. They had a couple electronic tricks they used to fool the system. Hopefully, Batman can figure out who made them," Black Canary said, as she along with Green Arrow and Batman joined the two heroes. "I don't like this one bit."

"We searched that storage bin and came up with a few clues. By the looks of things it appears to be a professional job. The few people who have the money and know how to pull this off is very limited. We're talking mafias or gangs or high tech saboteur villains."

"I'll analyze the evidence and see where it leads. In the meantime we should keep our eye out on anyone who had a connection to the Light. Perhaps, ask Young Justice to talk with Dubbilex and the genomorphs to see what they know."

"We'll talk to them later about that. Right now we should head back to the Watchtower and start reviewing the evidence."

Locked away in massive computer lab with a billion of computer screens; one supervillian was using his cunning intellect and superior skills to monitor, hack, and manipulate the data he was exposed to. Calculator was smiling as he laughed softly. Poor naïve fools, it was so easy to dupe people into believing their data was locked safely away. It was tricky staying under the radar of computer genius such as Oracle, but as long as no one suspected what he was up to they would never think to look into an online role play game as hunting ground.

"Its astonishing how much people expose themselves online. I have access to everything; medical files, bank accounts, credit history, and school records. It's so easy to manipulate the data and get the binary codes that we need."

The door open and half shadowed figure entered. Calculator didn't bother to turn around knowing it was his employer. "I take it my devices were successful in fooling that outdated security at Warehouse X?"

"Yes, my people were able to get in without incident as well as escape. Have you been able to narrow down our search for our little youth project? The auction is soon and we still have to get the medical equipment and scientists here. It wouldn't do for us at all if they had nothing to play with."

"With my restrictions I've been given I have found many suitable candidates. You'll have your final list of candidates for your auction along with enough funds to give you comfort in your new lives. You and your friends just finish the preparations," Calculator stated simply. He continued to manipulate the data not interested in all about his employers smiling face.

"Good. Keep this up and you'll earn your paycheck," the man said before leaving the room. An evil grin was on his face as he thought about the future. The heroes of the world would never suspect what was coming.


	4. Female Preperations

The League was working with their new allies' overtime trying to track down the thieves who stole the equipment. Guardian had been unable to reach any of the former scientists and doctors who had worked for the R&D department for the Light. It appeared that many had been kidnapped and a few had been found dead in their safe homes. The discovery of the deaths had intensified the search for answers. Batman was very busy trying to figure out who stole the equipment from Warehouse X, but was having difficulty pinning down the culprits. The evidence suggested organized crime, but what possible motive would they have for stealing the tech and how would they know about it in the first place? The League was determined to capture the threat before they totally took up the void left behind creating a new empire of power. So they, along with their allies, doubled their efforts to figure out who this new global threat was. The only thing they didn't do was inform Young Justice of the recent developments.

Part of the reason was they didn't want to upset the kids. According to the kids' shrinks they had been healing and dealing with their trauma remarkably well, but warned a direct confrontation with anything related to their nightmarish experiences, might trigger a complete meltdown. Possibly even relapse them to a cationic state although that was stressed to be the _worst worst_ case scenario. Another part was the kids were deep in preparations for their dances and finals making their civilian lives very busy. They still trained for a few hours each day to keep their skills sharp, but hadn't had any real formal sessions since earlier that week. The whole League was still debating if they were ready for a solo mission and decided to see if they could solve their problems before involving Young Justice. If they still couldn't figure out this mystery, they would have Red Tornado accompany the kids when they went to Benevolence on Sunday, to talk with Dubbilex and Julia, to see if they knew anything that could help them.

In Happy Harbor, on Friday afternoon, Megan was with her friends in the thrift store looking for dresses to refurbish for the dance. Buying brand new dresses at full price would have broke all three girls. So they decided to do what they could with old donate clothing that was in remarkable condition. Megan was really excited because she really wanted to try on and see what it was like to wear clothing that didn't respond to her mental commands.

"Marvin and Wendy are late! How long does it take to order decorations for a dance? I thought the cheerleaders had decided on a theme by now. Do you think your mom could add some studs to this?" Em asked, coming out of the dressing room in dark purple, short ruffled, dress with cap sleeves. "I like the feel of it and it goes great with my new boots, but it's missing an edge."

"I'll see, Mom's got a lot of clientele at the moment. With the economy the way it is; it's easier to get a seamstress like my Mom to mend and fix old clothes then buy new stuff. Do you think I should tear off the left sleeve on this dress to make it asymmetrical?" Melissa asked. She was wearing a lavender dress with a high short ball gown skirt with a green sash around the waist. "I love the color and the style, but one sleeves are in right now."

"Wouldn't it be more work to take the left off? Then again this is what you're considering for your final project in Life Skills maybe you should. What do you think about these gloves nay or yay?"

"Oh they'll go great with the studs once my Mom's finished with the alterations. Come on Megan, you've been in there forever! Show us what you got!"

"I'm trying, but this is hard to get one! I think the zipper stuck!" Megan called out. She didn't want to admit she had no idea how to put on a dress. Determined, she struggled valiantly until she finally managed to zip up in her outfit. She loved how she looked in the mirror and came out. "I know this has a few holes that need to be mended, but I think overall it's the perfect dress for me. It's modest yet lovely. Do you think Connor will like it?" the Martian in disguise asked her friends nervously.

Her dress was very simple in its construction. The main dress was a light blue surplice top with a swirled midsection and a short A line skirt and red flower decoration on her left side. Her sleeves were bell shaped and white. She waited anxiously for a reaction. "I knew it! I look like a fool don't I? The multi colors are garish right?"

"Actually, I think Em and Melissa think you're pretty awesome in the outfit. A real knockout contender if I do say so. I wonder how Connor will react to seeing you all jacked up and ready to dance the night away," Wendy said as she and Marvin made their way over. For some reason Marvin was wearing a light green cape on his back. "Sorry we got held up. The theme of the dance had to be redone because the supplier for our previous decoration theme pulled out. Instead of a Night to Remember the dance is now a Night on Mars."

"Really! What kind of decorations are you using for that?" Megan asked excitedly. If their representation of Mars was anything like her home she could truly share her previous life with Connor. It would be so romantic to dance across the red dust and then sit under the two moons and gaze upon Earth in wonder! She only realized that all her friends were staring at her funny when Marvin coughed. "Oops, hello Megan, other people here! I just was imagining a dream date with Connor. Mars is like my favorite planet, I mean, next to Earth."

"We kind of figured that out Meg. Maybe we should paint you green so you'd be Connor's alien sexy dancer," Em suggested. Megan blushed as everyone looked at Em in disgust. "What? Martians are green! I bet with the right body paint Megan would look spectacular."

"Em, I sometimes wonder what goes on in your mind. So Marvin, what is with the fashion fofa? I mean no one wears capes these days especially ones made from bath towels."

"Knock it off Melissa. I made that for him!"

"Yeah, Wendy and I are going for the top score in "SHFL!" Rumor has it, the creators are going to reward the top status players with an exclusive access to secret areas in the game or upgrade their equipment! I'm determined that Super Marvin and Marveling Wendy will be the only seventies style, techno powered duo, to win exclusive bragging rights!" Marvin announced showing them their avatars standing next to a dog in a tower monitoring crime and then dishing out punishment via their tech. "Isn't this game amazing? A lot of our online friends have banded together to form our own team known as the Superfriends!"

"It sounds as if this game is really important to you. We have interesting games back on Ma I mean where I grew up, but nothing as the world you describe," Megan admitted shyly.

"Yeah it's a fun and safe way for teens to live out the lives of their heroes without risking injury, but for now its time to shut it down. We need to find the perfect accessories and make up to go with our trendy new styles. So let's hit the racks and see if we can't beautify ourselves ladies. Oh, and make Marvin look decent. I suggest a haircut to tame those locks," Melissa suggested.

"My hair is not that unruly!" Marvin whined, but the girls ignored him already looking for accessories and talking about make up. Sighing he joined Wendy in searching for a decent outfit to wear. He might even impress her enough to get her to agree to be his girl.

Another person getting her locks tamed was Zairia. Her mother had decided it was time to tame and style her little girl's hair to be more manageable. So she took her to the high end beauty parlor for a little mother and daughter bonding. Zairia was gritting her teeth as her stylist roughly washed her hair. The water was hot and the girl didn't seem to be paying attention to what she was doing always getting shampoo in her eyes. It was taking all her efforts not to go into splice mode and escape this torture session. "Mom is this, ugh, really necessary! I don't need my hair cut!"

"Zairia, relax my little dawn. You're just getting a trim and style to make you more beautiful. Ow, watch the wax lady! Being beautiful takes a lot of work. You don't think I keep my good looks all on my own? I need a little help from the girls to keep your father enticed," Helena told her daughter as her eyebrows were waxed. She was also getting a trim and style. She was also making sure she had no gray hairs so a light coloring was being added to make her ebony locks shine with brilliance. "This is so relaxing. We should have invited your friend Eunice. We could make this a real girls day out hmm? How is your friend doing today?"

"Eunice is with her mom and dad hunting for new furniture for the apartment, but I believe it's a cover up to avoid having to come to this torture session. I think Eunice slipped out to buy new shoes for the dance and then went to the library to play her favorite game for an hour or so without parental units around. I don't understand why her parents won't let her play the RPG at home. I seriously doubt Dad's conspiracy that all RPG games are way for international crime families to hunt for targets and then kidnap them for slaves is a bit far fetch, even for him. Isn't that ow hot!"

"Sorry miss, please try not to squirm so much. Now do you have a style you wish to try?"

"Just trim a few inches and make it pretty, but manageable on the go for her Latisha. Both of us are always on the go and we need something simple."

"As you wish Mrs. Bertenelli-Sage. One simple, yet stylish look, for your little dawn coming right up. She's going to look absolutely amazing by the time I'm finished with her."

"Ah I hate this! Why couldn't I have gone and watched Bettie and Duscha doubles team match? At least there I wouldn't suffer any, ow, injuries to my head!" Zairia whined. She closed her eyes praying that her looks wouldn't be too damaged and she would be pretty for her night with Bettie. It was going to be a wonderful night and she didn't care about other kids reactions to her being bisexual. She was going to rock the dance floor. That thought alone of being reunited with her girlfriend would help her deal with the stress of this appointment.

Shania was with Jordana and their fellow Green Team member, Levina, in her room. The girls had already bought their dresses, make up, and jewelry. Levina, had made some cool pins out of recycled cans to give to their dates, that had amazing pictures on them and that would go great with any outfit the boys wore. The girls were busy putting on fake nails and painting them while talking about the upcoming dance and finals. It was a regular girl gab fest!

"Spanish is the hardest subject ever, and I still have to take at least another year or two, if I don't want to take it in college. I hope I score decently on the test. I'm still having trouble with future tense and superlatives. I just can't seem to get the order or spelling right. Do you think this color goes with my dress?" Shania asked showing her pale orange nails.

"It looks good and it matches your hair perfectly. I just hope Gregor doesn't choke on his Psychology final; otherwise he'll be missing out on the dance! He better buckle down and memorize those terms because if he flunks I'm going to really angry," Jordana muttered as she blew on her nails. She had painted them a lovely shade of rose pink. "The only final I have to really be concerned about is my seventh period Biology final. From the review sheets I've been practicing with I think I'm in for a long haul. I'm going to really have do my best to keep my GPA. My parents would ground me for life if it dropped a point."

"Sadly, that is the case no matter what. I really do hope the raffle has lots of good prizes to give away. I'm hoping to get some new apps for my phone so I can play my "SHFL" faster. I'm one of the top players in the game. I designed my avatar, React, to have reactive mutation to different situations, so that if I need to fly or swim, extra parts would come out. I fight for environmental reasons and by using my avatar I've raised funds for the World Wide Animal fund and ASPACA. Those who hurt the helpless nature will feel my virtual wraith," Levina informed them. She was a slightly chubby, tan girl with medium length forest green hair and violet eyes. She finished applying a light brown on her fingers and showed to the girls. "I'm surprised you two haven't created profiles and avatars to live out your lives. The excitement and thrill of being able to help people, through virtual transactions turned real, is absolutely amazing. How do you think Elkin and I got to know each other? Through the game, of course, and he's going to be just as super at the dance next week. Oh, I hope he kisses me!"

"Do I look like I have time for some silly craze? I've got a planet to save and family obligations to uphold Levina. I'm lucky I even managed to score a date with Gregor with all the craziness going on," Jordana stated in disbelief. Not mention her Guardian Angel duties kept her busy making sure nothing messed with Shania during her time of recovery. All the Guardian Angels had to step up their game after what happened. They had training sessions with each other and a heavenly contact to help them grow with their powers.

"My parents would freak if I spent all my time online playing a game instead of getting fresh air or hanging with my friends. On that note, I also have no desire for a secret fantasy life to be viewed by millions of other people," Shania said simply. She already was living a secret double life and needed no more pressures.

"You don't know what you're missing. Just wait until schools out. Then I'll show you the joys of gaming."

In Gateway, both Sasha and Athena were having a grand time just hanging out. They had already bought their dresses along with everything else they needed to wear. Sasha had helped pick out a gift to give Wally for inviting her. There was no reason for a style change they were both beautiful, but there was one last preparation they needed to do. They were in the park practicing couple dancing. It was truly astonishing that a girl, who could group or solo dance, had no clue how to dance with a partner.

"Stop laughing it's not funny! Ugh, your Mystyx friends wouldn't happen to have powers to make me stop stepping on your left foot would they?" Athena asked frustrated as she messed up the dance step again. "Even with Wally's speed I'm still going to stomp on him more times then I miss. Why is this so hard?"

"None of my friends could help you. You're use to dancing in synch with someone or being the sole dancer. It's harder when you want to slow dance and have to be close. Also you don't always get to lead, he does. Maybe the key to doing this isn't touching. What if you dance near me, but not in synch? Can you try that?"

"This would be easier if we had music. Okay let's see one, two, three and ugh! I'm never going to get this! I'm going to ruin our special night!"

"I never thought I see the day when a Dance Angel gives up. How you made the team and were nominate the freshman co captain is beyond my understanding," a voice said. The two girls looked up and glared as Odette came strolling up to them carrying her clarinet case. She must have just finished her lesson and been heading home taking a short cut through the park. "Hello Sasha, Athena, how are you doing today? Are you prepared for our final in my Aunt's music class? I've been reviewing my notes every night."

"Why, it's not like your aunt's going to fail you or even mark anything you turn in as less then perfect."

"What's with the attitude Sasha? I don't recall doing anything that could have resulted in this cantankerous mien towards me. How have I offended you?"

"I have problems with people who skate on the easy street and don't work for what they want."

"Really? That's easy for you to say considering your rich Sasha."

"Odette, Sasha, cool your heads the both of you or I'll separate you two. Clearly Odette you have something you wanted to say to me so what is it?"

"Well, I just was going to suggest that since you let the rhythm and speed of the song guide you; that you relax and let your partner lead then follow at slightly slower pace. You can stay close without stepping on someone toes and still have room to maneuver," Odette suggested. The two girls looked at her suspiciously, so she took out her clarinet and started playing slowly.

Sasha and Athena took her advice followed her advice. Sasha led and Athena waited a few seconds before following her lead. Slowly, but surely the teen Amazon got better and better. Finally she was confident enough to grab Sasha's hand and the two girls finished the dance together. Odette put down her clarinet smiling knowingly. "So do you have anything to say to me?"

"Just thank you and I owe you one. I'm sure Wally would appreciate me not stepping on his toes."

"Your welcome, well I need to be going. My Mother is expecting me back soon. I'll see you girls later," she said packing up her clarinet and leaving. Something fell out of her backpack and the girl's called out to her, but she was already gone. Picking it up, it was printout of an online chat between someone calling herself, White Swan with a character called Bicolor Girl, about their exploits online in a popular role play game.

"Well well it seems our swan has hidden passion for gaming. According to this she's one of the top players and formed an alliance with this girl that helped them save face. They're debating whether to join a group online called the Superfriends. What kind of name is that?"

"Its sounds dated, but it shouldn't matter to us. We need to return this chat print out to Odette. Clearly she printed it out for a reason and who are we to judge what she does in her free time?"

"Sometimes I think your Amazon honor is a bit much. Come on, my driver can take us there."

In Star City, Quisha had joined Nerissa's mom as they searched for the right dress to wear to the dance next week. They were searching in high end designers stores before going to Nerissa's doctor's visit for preparations for her upcoming reconstruction surgery. Black Canary was in disguise, joining them on the hunt and helping foot the bill and wasn't taking no for an answer. It was her way of helping out one of her students.

So far, Nerissa was only semi enjoying herself as she tried on dresses. She wasn't a dress person to begin with and then the outfits didn't give her enough coverage. She wanted to look pretty, but at the same time cover up her scars. Quisha didn't understand what the big deal was and kept trying to get her into low cut no sleeve dresses.

"Come on Nerissa, everyone's seen your scars. Why are you still tripping that you need to cover them? You're the most gorgeous independent bad ass I know!" Quisha whined as Nerissa rejected another sexy no sleeve dress. It would be a miracle if they could find a dress both teens liked.

"Quisha, we've been through this! I don't like showing my arms. I hate the looks and gossip! They think I'm a cutter did you know that?"

"Who cares? You're being stubborn as usual Artemis! Sorry, _Nerissa_, geez I wish I knew why you changed your name. Your middle name suits you better. I'm starting to think going to that snooty prep school has changed you."

"Quisha you know me! I would never turn into a snooty prep, it's just, maybe this seems like no big deal to you, but these scars are a reminded of a real bad time and I just want to forget about it for awhile okay? Can't you understand that?"

Quisha looked embarrassed and chastised. She didn't know exactly what happened to her friend, but she'd heard horror stories of what those evil people did before the League captured them. She could only imagine what might have happened to her girlfriend. "Okay, I'm sorry Nerissa. I'll stop pulling dresses you don't like. But what are you willing to try on?"

"I just don't know, I've never been dress shopping like this before! It's so confusing."

"Nerissa, Ms. Lance and I found a dress we think you'll like. It doesn't have long sleeves, but I think it will make you look extremely pretty and be appropriate for the venue," her mom said wheeling over with a dress.

"I found some accessories you could try on with it. Maybe these will help," Dinah said handing over some gloves, necklace and a thin head piece.

"Oh that's adorable! Try these shoes with it! Stop protesting and get into the changing room! Let's see you all dolled up and ready to go. Hurry up we have to leave soon," Quisha insisted, helpfully shoving her friend into the dressing room.

All three ladies waited with baited breath for her to emerge. When she did all of them were exclaiming how beautiful she looked. Nervously, Nerissa faced the mirror casting a critical eye on her outfit. She was wearing a beautiful spaghetti strap light green dress with medium sheath skirt and cap sleeves. A studded forest green sash hugged her waist making it tinier. She wore matching long fingerless gloves that covered her arms and the shoes had little buckles on them that made them look adorable. She wore a thin green tiara in her hair and a lovely green leaf necklace. Once she styled her hair she'd look great, but for now she was speechless.

"Whoa, you look amazing girl! I think Lucas is going to be drooling all night over you. You were right those gloves give you a touch of class," Quisha gushed.

"Oh Nerissa, I never thought I see the day you put on a dress willingly! I swear you were going to wear jeans to your own wedding," Paula cried. She had never seen her child so pretty before.

"Thanks Mom, I'm glad you have so little confidence in me. Still, it looks great and I love how it hugs my body, but I don't know it's such an expensive purchase! I can barely afford the shoes and gloves; the dress alone is nearly a hundred seventy five dollars. I don't know if should get something I'm only going to wear once."

"Nerissa, you can wear that dress on a number of occasions you're not going to just wear it once! You deserve to be treated like a princess!" Paula insisted.

"Besides I'm buying the dress remember? Ollie would never forgive me if I didn't help his favorite "girl" out; after me of course. Nerissa be honest is there another dress you want to try on?"

"Not really, this one is nice and I really hate dress shopping."

"Then we'll buy this one and the accessories. See that wasn't too hard. Now we better get going. We have to meet Ollie at the hospital for your examination in less then an hour. Let's go," Dinah told the young teen. Nerissa nodded and changed back into her clothes. Soon this nightmare would be over.

At the hospital, they were joined by Ollie, who was very pleased to see Nerissa and happy to find out she had a dress to her dance. Quisha kept whispering how cool it was that her friend personally knew a rich guy she could ask for money from. Paula shushed the young lady as they waited for the doctor to assess Nerissa's scars. Normally reconstruction for scar revision would take place 6 to 12 months after an injury, but hers were healing at remarkable rate that they thought they could precede after only four to five months.

"Well, the fibrous tissue is healing and they're starting to fade, but there still a lot of build up. We'll be able to minimize that, the hard part will be matching your skin tone perfectly, but we have new advance equipment to help us with that. You're still seeing the shrink?"

"Yes, and I'm still not smoking and I don't take aspirin for headaches or pain. I know this won't get rid of them forever, but if it minimizes the look and give me more pain free movement I will be happy."

"Glad to see you have a healthy outlook. Good, we'll need to do some blood work and run a few more tests, but if it all works out you're surgery should still be on schedule for mid June Ms. Crock. Are there any questions?"

"What kind of new equipment will you be using Dr. Wong? If's experimental I really don't feel it comfortable on my daughter."

"We'll be using a new pinpoint laser to promote new healthy skin growth, before we go under and fix the wounds, along with applying skin grafts. Afterwards, we'll close the incisions. The whole procedure should take no more then five hours. Recovery will be about two weeks and Nerissa's skin will be extremely sensitive. Now remember it could take months for results to show, but don't be discouraged."

"I won't be and I heal fast so I'm not worried."

Ollie opened his mouth to ask questions when an explosion rocked the hospital. Patients were screaming and the building shook as tremors hit it. Alarms blared as doctors rushed to protect their patients from harm only to be shot at. Security was moving in to deal with the intruders only to thrown back and bleeding as a small group of intruders moved through the hospital.

"If no one wants to die, I advice you to keep still and obey our orders, otherwise I can't be certain you won't end up in the morgue!" A female voice echoed down the hall. The sounds of security firing their guns and drawing tasers were interrupted by people screaming in agony and pain. Two long stretchy monstrous limbs popped past the door frame crushing the guards. A woman in a blue body suit with the symbol for Gemini, strolled into view flanked by two punk style figures aiming empathic stimulators at the huddled group. Looking past them, the three heroes in disguise saw shadowy figures heading for the elevator. The woman spoke with a sneer on her face.

"Well, surprise surprise, the richest man in all of Star City is in the hospital. If we weren't here on a much bigger score I seriously consider ransoming you for all your worth," Gemini mouthed off.

"Better people then you have tried. What do you want Ms?"

"The name is Gemini and I'm not at liberty to discuss with the likes of you what I'm doing here. Its not like any of you could stop me anyways," Gemini remarked. She transformed her arms into monstrous claw like limbs and struck out at Dr. Wong who was coming at her with a sedative. The poor man was flung into the wall missing the windows by millimeters. Fear and Loathing started stimulating the room's residence, causing them uncontrollable mental pain. Paula was on the floor in pain as Quisha passed out. The three heroes were gritting their teeth trying not to let the emotions get to them. Finally they faked passing out so that the trio would leave.

Dinah was the first to get up removing her wig and already shedding her civvies with Ollie fast behind her. Nerissa reached for her book bag and pulled out her costume and collapsible bow already assembling it. The three heroes knew what they needed to do in order to protect the hospital patients. "The police will get here soon, but until they do we need to put an end this. Black Canary and I will take care of Gemini and her lackeys. You patrol the hospital and round up any bad guys you come across. Be careful and call us if you run into anyone beyond your skill level. Understood?"

"Right! Be careful you two!" Artemis warned them as she took off. She took out a security camera to prevent it from recording her emerging from the room and dove into the stairwell to avoid being caught in the elevator. She notched three trick arrows into her bow and carefully opened the door to the next floor. She listened and cautiously made her way through the floor, checking on patients and staff reassuring them they were okay. After making sure that floor was safe she moved onto the next.

It wasn't until she reached the surgical ward on the seventh floor she ran into trouble. She found nurses locked down with their patients and armed men standing guard; as a behemoth of a creature stared hauling heavy, expensive, state of the art, neurological scanners and surgical equipment, down the hall to the service elevator. Artemis own cybernetic eyes gave her quick break down of the creature. The creature was huge; nearly seven feet tall and cybernetically enhanced in some type of futuristic metal mixed with crocodile scales with five razor sharp claws coming out its hands. Her eyes detected enhanced internal systems and solar power cells that super powered the enhanced strength and would keep the creature running after its biological systems failed. She was wary of the shark like teeth and red laser eyes. The creature was growling and even attacking its allies as they pushed him around. She caught the name Equus being spoken. Taking a deep breath she got ready to move.

That's when the bullets started flying as someone spotted her in the security mirror. Cursing her bad luck she skidded sideways across the floor releasing her three trick arrows. The bullets pierced them releasing a brilliant flash that blinded the gunman. Charging forward she turned the bow sideways and knocked all their guns out of their hands. She grabbed one man and threw him over her shoulder. Hooking her foot she tripped up another that was coming at her with knife. She backhand two more and axle kicked more men as they came. She threw a bolo punch breaking noses. She notched another two arrows shooting them and tying them up. She felt the vibrations and managed to flip over Equus; avoiding his razor sharp claws as he shoved the last of his loot into the service elevator sending the payload down to the basement.

"Do you really think you can stop me little girl? Your toy bow and weak body is no match for my unbelievable strength and power!" Equus shouted. Artemis said nothing, just snatching her crossbow from her new leg holster and firing a quick round of arrows at the creature. Equus laughed as the arrows barely scratched his skin and took out one eye. He ripped it out biting the arrow in half. "Is that the best you can do little girl? I'll eat you for breakfast!"

"Just try it Equus. I'm more of a threat then you think," Artemis replied. She used her special eyes to scan and locate weak points as she ducked and attacked with her martial arts. She ignored the blood pouring as her the claws raked her body and she fought with every arrow she had normal and trick. Finally her eyes locked on a weak joint and flipped over a wall and fired in mid spin, releasing a powerful jolt of electricity that shut down the cybernetic systems, followed up by a foam arrow encasing the beast and keeping him down at least until authorities could collect him. She was about to call for Green Arrow when she heard the sound of an arrow coming at her.

Quickly she spun around and fired an arrow deflecting the one that had been aimed for her. She got into her Kyudo stance. "Step into the light now!" A chuckling was heard and a man with silvery hair in a gray costume appeared with several unconscious and cuffed doctors on a stretcher behind him. He held a thick black bow and was looking at her with a cross between amusement and pride. "Very good, you are better then I expected. The talent you posses is certainly equal or more then whatever Red Arrow had, even without your special eyes. It's nice to see someone work for their skills. I'm starting to regret I was to busy to be your Handler Arrowett. We could have accomplished so much together."

"My name is Artemis, not Arrowett, and who are you? What do you want with the doctors and stolen equipment?"

"I'm surprise that your mentor Green Arrow hadn't mentioned me. My name is Merlyn and he and I go way back, young archer. As for what I want with the doctors and equipment, well I'm not one to squeal on my employers so I'm not going to tell you what I'm doing here. Now if you'd be so kind to step aside I'd like to collect my fellow workers so we may leave."

"I don't think so you're not going anywhere," Artemis hissed taking careful aim and releasing her arrow. It soared straight through the air right at her target only for Merlyn to reach out and some how snag the projectile. He fitted her arrow in his bow and shot it back at her. Artemis ducked and rolled into a nearby storage closet. More arrows came at her being bounced of the wall and ceiling nearly impaling her on the ricocheted. She ducked under a few and swatted away the others with her bow. Loading trick arrows into the bow she drew back the quiver as tight as she could; ignoring the shooting pain in her arms. She partially kneeled and took careful aim, taking account of all the variables, before releasing the taunt projectiles.

Merlyn had been moving closer to get a better angle when he saw the girl launch two arrows at him. One was a trick arrow that bounced off the wall until it broke upon the sprinkler dousing him a rush of water. During the split second he was blinded a regular arrow struck him. He managed to bring up his arm blocking the arrow so that it only grazed his left forearm leaving a deep bloody gash. With a worthy battle cry the girl came at him flipping forward and kicking him in the chest causing him to stumble. She threw a right hook at his face, which he caught attempting to crush her hand. She growled and tried to hook his foot, but he side stepped forcing her to the ground. She head butted him in the chest making Merlyn gasp for air, but he didn't let her go grabbing her left arm and pinning both of them painfully behind her. She struggled on her knees trying to force him off, but she couldn't get leverage.

Merlyn rammed the girl into a wall, causing blood to trickle down her face. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his colleagues getting up and securing his prisoners. Equus was getting unsteadily to his feet unleashing his claws ready to kill the young archer for her interference when Merlyn shook his head. "Make sure our cargo gets to the truck and secure our exit. I'll join you shortly."

"Fine, but we're leaving in eight minutes with or without you archer. Let's move out," the cyborg creature commanded, grabbing the stretcher with the doctors and shoving it into the service elevator vanishing from sight.

Artemis struggled trying to break free. "You're not going to get away with this! The League will have you behind bars before you know it."

"Perhaps, or perhaps not Arrowett, your League friends have no idea who they're up against or what they want. Its shame the answer is looking at them with such a young pretty face; such as yours and your friends. You should consider yourself lucky that I have orders not to harm you or your little friends. If you ever get tired of listening to Green Arrow and wanting to learn to be a master archer look me up," Merlyn whispered into her ear applying more pressure to her arms. A razor sharp arrow head nearly took off his nose as he leaned back from Artemis to see Green Arrow standing a few feet away his bow full of arrows.

"Let her go now Merlyn!" Green Arrow shouted angrily. Merlyn dropped Artemis who clutched her arms in pain unable to launch a counter attack. She nodded at Green Arrow assuring him she was okay. "What are you doing here Merlyn? Joining forces with, bounty hunters and mercs for theft, not assassination, is definently not your M.O."

"Sometimes you have to take whatever job comes along Green Arrow to earn a little spending money. It was lovely to meet your new protégée she's quite remarkable. I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go," Merlyn lamented as he fired a single arrow at a nearby fire extinguishers. The messy foam blinded both green archers giving Merlyn time to make his exit.

Once the foam stopped shooting out, Green Arrow knelt down and started looking her over. She had many cuts on her back and one across her chest where Equus claws had raked her. Her hair was shredded a bit in the back, but aside from that and a bloody nose she was okay. "You're going to be fine you just need a few bandages. Why didn't you call me when you ran into Equus and Merlyn? There really bad news! You're lucky to be alive."

"I tried to call you, but I was on the defensive and unable to activate my com. Ollie, that guy called me Arrowett and said some strange things, ugh, about me," Artemis stressed.

"We'll talk about it later. Right now we need to get you changed and be ready to talk to the police about what happened. This attack might be connected to a case the League's investigating. I'll tell you more about it later, right now we have to get moving," Green Arrow told his charge, already making a mental note to have Red Tornado accompany Young Justice, to Benevolence on Sunday. Maybe even get in touch with Roy and see if his underground connections knew anything.

Meanwhile in undisclosed location a shadowy man was listening to a report coming in about the success of the mission. He was pleased that they had managed to take care of the heroes and still secure their cargo. "Excellent. Bring the cargo to the predisposed location and you'll get the rest of your money. Make sure that none of the captives escape or the consequences could be life threatening. It appears are plans are proceeding with little complication. The League still has no idea what were up to or even who we are. How goes our overseas activities?"

"The profit we've earned is quite a tidy sum. Our proceeds will help not only fund our next stage in this endeavor, but give us the control we need to stay on top of this new alliance that were forming."

"The auction location has been secured and the security team was hired by our new Gotham associates. Construction of the parts is proceeding as planned thanks to the blueprints we've received. Calculator assures us that the targets have been selected and our invites have been sent. We can start collecting them come Sunday."

"Excellent, soon our hard efforts will pay off. There will be a new power in charge of the criminal element and the heroes of the world will be powerless to stop us."


	5. Unsettling Truths

The brazen attack on the Star City General Hospital had the local police, and even the League was stumped by what the connection between; the attempted hacking of their files, the thefts at Warehouse X, along with the kidnapping and killing of doctors and researchers. Batman had come up with several possible scenarios, but each seemed less likely then the last. There was a giant puzzle piece missing that would help them see the whole picture and they hoped that Dubbilex might be able to provide the information they needed to solve this mystery.

At the moment, the young heroes were getting in a last minute study session, before they went on their biweekly visit to the town of Benevolence. They volunteered their time and efforts in the sanctuary town's many efforts, helping them out connected the kids on a more personal level with society, and showing you didn't have to wear a cape to help someone out.

Wally was busy studying his notes and typing up his English Lit final paper. Writing a comparative analysis of all the books they had read this semester and using his interpretations of what the text meant was a challenge. His mind kept recalling passages from similar text that the class hadn't gone over and was wondering if he could use them in the paper. "Give me science over written work any day. Who reads books anymore, oh, that's right me! Ah come on I got to figure this out!"

"Wally are you done yet? You have to leave in and hour and half! You still need to help me sort through the donations of what you want to give away." His mom called up the stairs.

"I'll be done when I get done! Ugh, this paper is giving me a migraine."

"Maybe you should take a break and finish it later. Come down and sort through these old books with me okay?"

"Mom, if I look at one more book I'm going to hurl!"

"Wallace West, you get down here right now and give me a hand or so help me I'm going to march up there and drag you down by the ear!"

"Alright give me ten minutes! Geez, I better come up with a great conclusion on this paper and not forget the citation page. Okay double check the spelling, change that to a semicolon, and get rid of the run on and yes done! Okay I'm coming Mom don't get rid of any of my books without asking!" Wally said zooming down the steps. He hoped no surprises would happen today. He still had to tutor Illan for their Chemistry final on Wednesday.

Kaldur and Shania were packing boxes full of donations including first aid kits, building supplies, and emergency supplies. Kaldur had brought items from the sea that would be eco friendly and educational. They were waiting for Levina and Elkin to drop off a few donations, before they went to the cave to load the items into the bioship for easy transport. While they waited for their friends, Shania questioned him about the upcoming birth of the Prince of Atlantis. Everyone under the sea was very blissful with the approaching date. "The King and Queen must be thrilled to know that their son's arrival will be soon. They've been waiting so long and you must be equally ecstatic! Finally you'll be a big brother!"

"It's an honor that I'm most undeserving. I have only just begun to earn the respect of the people again. Appointing me Guardian of the child, as well as honorary brother, is not as popular as it might have been. Many still fear I will change again."

"Featherdraft! Kaldur you've proven yourself to those that matter. Tula and Garth support you and so do your adoptive parents who believe in you. Don't think about what problems could arise. Pray to your deities that your prince has a safe birth. I sense that your King, along with my parents, are being very secretive. They should trust us with their secrets instead forcing us to reveal ours."

"I have heard talks about thefts of items from secret warehouses and My King was discussing with Prince Orm about files that someone attempted to hack. It is highly disturbing to think our security could be breeched in such a manner. Did you hear about what occurred to Nerissa?"

"Yeah, she was pretty shook up about the encounter. I wonder if is one of the reasons that Red Tornado is escorting us to today, is to find out what Dubbilex might know about the new power. He's the only one that has all the facts about the Light's activities and not in a coma."

"I pray the Light hasn't returned, because if they have I'm not only going to flunk finals, I'm going to molt feathers all over the dance floor. Ah, here comes Levina and Elkin now! Hey I love that electric moped! Ah you brought them!"

"Everything on your donation lists my lady. We have solar panel kits; an emergency generator; curtsey of my uncle along with water filters, renewable containers and supplies. Even stuff to build houses for animals. I also threw in a couple new blankets and backpacks full of goodies. I think it's great to meet people who are passionate about the world. To often the government forgets about the people it needs to help the most!" Elkin exclaimed passionately dropping a letter from his jacket pocket. Kaldur picked it up and handed back to him. "Thanks Kaldur, I guess I'm a little excited."

"It is alright, I to would be enthusiastic if I was doing something I loved."

"Elkin is so passionate about his admirations for the future. In fact, were about to go to a meeting with some people who can use their influence to help push our agenda for a healthy environment and safe society. It's not just enough to save the planet anymore. We need to make sure the people are safe from stalkers, cyber bullying, and perverts. We'll see you guys at school tomorrow. Don't forget to study extra hard for the Language finale. Bye!" Levina called out as they finished unloading the trailer and the two lovers rode off. Shania and Kaldur looked over their supplies before taking them to the teleporter.

Zairia was throwing items all over her room while she had a webcam chat with Betty; as she held up old sports equipment to see if wasn't to worn to give away. Old boxing gloves, dull crossbows and a few other odds and ends were flying through the air. Betty laughed as rackets and balls were tossed half hazerdly into a box. "Are you collecting donations or opening a used goods store? I collected a lot of that stuff from fellow students of Olympian Athletic Magnet School as charitable donations. The good press helps bring in donations to keep the school going you know. I hate for you to rough up the stuff before it gets to kids in need."

"Oh believe me; most of this stuff was already partially dinged up. You and your classmates are serious when it comes to game play. With your dedication its no wonder so many students make it the pros. Still, what happen to just enjoying the game?"

"We are not here at this school little girl to improve our game for fun. We are serious athletes with the potential to be the greatest stars of all time. If you think we are going to waste our time and efforts on fun, then you need to rethink your assumption about the world of sports," Duscha commented off screen. The blond hair Russian girl walked into the shot dressed up in her tennis uniform with her racket case. "You're little girl friend has a lot to learn about how the world of sports works."

"You have a lot to learn about manners Duscha, or did you pick up your tongue lashing from your KGB family members?"

"Ha, very funny Zairia. You know that the KGB is no more and that Duscha's family lives in Siberia and wouldn't have had anything to do with that. Duscha, I thought you didn't have lessons today?" Bettie remarked.

"In case you've forgotten Bettie, we are being tested for a performance level along with our academic work. Low scores mean I'm shipped back home without a chance to finish my schooling in America. I need all the practice I can get. I shall see you two love birds later," Duscha chastised before leaving the room and slamming the door.

"What's got her all in a tizzy? Did the Illuminate offer her a chance to join their Olympic team and help take over the world?"

"Don't joke about that okay, we're all under a lot of pressure with the year ending. We need to do great. Between practice, schoolwork and BOP operations, I'm surprised I have the energy to eat. If Aunt Kathy wasn't feeding me extra meals on patrols I might just pass out."

"So what has your team been working on lately? Mom's completely blackballing me. Whatever Oracle has you girls investigating must be pretty hardcore; because I heard my parents having sex at least three times in the past week as they work through the tension."

"TMI Zairia! I don't know the whole story, but Aunt Kathy borrowed Cassandra on our last patrol as we tracked down the scum of several crime families. According to Oracle, the volume of criminal activity is a bit too high and even among the families. There should be peaks and drops as they compete against one another in the different markets, but it's to steady and unified. She wants us to find out if there's a new crime family being formed from members of other groups. So far everyone's being tight lipped; even after the beating Cassandra and I gave them."

"Yeah, my Dad would have a bunch of theories about why that is. Its scary thinking about another power growing. Ugh, I'm going to be late and I still need to comb this ratsnest!"

"Your hair doesn't look that bad. I like the shorter cut. I can't wait to see you this Friday! Don't worry, Aunty Kathy got me a dress that meets all your school's regulations. I love you Zairia!" Bettie blew a kiss and signed off. Zairia blushed happily before yelling for her Dad to help her get the boxes to the transporter.

In Mount Justice, M'gann and Taji were happily putting the donations in the cargo hold of the bioship with Red Tornado's help. Taji had collected a lot of potting soil and seed, plus stuff for composting. "Is it wrong to cast a good harvest spell on these little seedlings? I mean we want the people to have a good harvest."

"You know that any magical help could backfire in the future. Besides it's important for the people benefitting from the donations to learn to grow food on their own. Okay, I got plenty of school supplies. I can't wait to give these to Julia! It's so great that their newest project will benefit so many people!"

"Indeed, it appears that the efforts of the sanctuary towns to build schools and homes for the poorest of humanity in the south; in an attempt to provide education and job opportunities to those in need, will be a success. I can already see how the supplies will be going a long way to helping families start fresh in life."

"Also with the eco friendly methods being used the Earth as a whole benefits from being harmed. It appears the prosperous cherry blossoms have bloomed. Still I'm not sure why you are coming to Benevolence with us Red Tornado? It's not as if we need to be supervised there."

"Does it have anything to do with a mission for us?"

"All questions will be answered shortly. I hear the others approaching. We should finish loading the ship so that we may disembark for our destination post hast," Red Tornado remarked cryptically. He was silent as the rest of the team arrived and loaded up the bioship and flew off. The team was silent wondering what was going on.

Twenty minutes later they arrived, parking the ship near the halfway house and thrift stores, but out sight. Volunteers were already hard at work, labeling and sorting donations; before putting them into electric trucks to haul the goods where they needed to go. Several residents of the halfway house were being helped by a dozen smaller genomorphs while the genotrolls took care of the heavy lifting. Little genognomes were running around acting as messengers between the groups. Directing the flow of traffic were Julia and Dubbilex, who seem to be enjoying themselves. They smiled happily when they saw the kids arrive, but were confused by Red Tornado's presences.

"Hello everyone, it is wonderful to see you again. I see you have brought many supplies for our latest project. Your contributions will be most helpful in our endeavors to help the poor," Julia remarked happily. Dubbilex's horns lit up as he used his telekinesis to float their supplies over to the groups for sorting. "It's been quite the busy morning."

"We can tell. There seem to be more residents at the halfway house then usual. Have you expanded your program to help new types of temptations?" Lucas inquired politely.

"Yes, we treat those suffering from the sins of gluttony, lust, and even sloths now. Hoarders, sex addicts, even those who are being to lazy or running from their problems. We hoping to teach them the skills they need to overcome their problems and assist others."

"Whoa, that sounds like a struggle in itself. You're going to need all the help you can get and then some. I hope you're ready to work for the aster."

"We are. Volunteering is a lot of fun and makes our souls feel good."

"How come we've haven't been able to contact you? We tried phoning to tell you what time we arrived, but Tanya said that you and Dubbilex were out of town. Where were you?" Terry demanded.

"I apologizes young one, but some of my brethren have gone missing. We were unsure if they had wondered off or might have been killed. As of now we're still unsure what has happened to them, but we were needed here so we came back."

"That's awful! I'm sorry to hear that your brethren are missing. Maybe we could help find them for you," Athena suggested.

"Hey Julia, where did you get the bling? That's a nice rock," Nerissa commented. Everyone's eyes looked in awe at Julia's engagement ring. She and Dubbilex smiled. "Oh my God, are you two engaged?"

"Yes, we'll be married sometime later this year, but we can talk about that later I promise!"

"Yes, those questions will have to wait. First, we have important business of the hero matter to discuss with you two. Can we talk somewhere private?" Red Tornado stated. He was already aware of the attention he was drawing from some of the newer residents who didn't understand why he was with a bunch of youths. Julia and Dubbilex escorted the group down to the chamber to talk without interruptions. Once they were all seated, Red Tornado handed some documents to Dubbilex for him to exam, along with a list of inventory that was stolen from the Warehouse X complexes; along with the names of R& D scientists missing or dead. He gave Julia a pad, were she watched the video footage while scrolling the list of names of doctors kidnapped. Both had growing looks of concern on their faces.

"This is very disconcerting. Were the intruders able to get a hold of the actual files and documents?"

"All hard copies are kept in a secure location that hasn't been disturbed and they weren't able to get our electronic files which are quadruple encrypted and protect. Even if they had hacked it, the Batman designed a program to send false information along with a tracker program to locate any unsavory individuals which wasn't triggered."

"Understood. It appears all usufruct was taken without any interference troubling. You suspect the Light avatars of foul play or the Light itself?"

"The Lantern Corps have assured us the Light of Destruction has been contained in its cosmic well, however Martian Manhunter attempted to see if it was still subtly influencing its avatars, in an attempt to make a come back. For all intents and purposes, the avatars are still in coma although in quite good health. Their minds are free of any outside influence, but there is no indication they're faking or ordering the hits."

"It doesn't surprise me. Sierra forced them to confront the spiritual consequences of their actions; so now they are living and feeling all the pain they caused over the years. That kind of spiritual trauma could take decades to resolve before they wake up if they ever wake up," Julia remarked.

"Yes, well can you discern who has been behind these attacks and what their possible motives are? The Batman has suspected organized crime families or possibly villain groups might be playing a role, but what we can't be certain how involved with all the different villains in the group. If this is a new threat then we need to know."

"It is a new threat, but not unexpected. When both the League and Young Justice help remove the threat of the Light they destroyed the power base that has been controlling the criminal element for the past fifty five years. Despite cracking down on the different levels the void is still up for grabs for someone who wants to become the new alpha, but in order to do that they have to have power, influence and a vision to be considered for that position. Only a handful of groups are currently in a position to make a move for a promotion or know anything about the Light's activities to better their chances for control," Dubbilex explained patiently.

"So you know what the tech stolen does and who is behind these attacks?"

"No, not exactly Red Tornado. We have a few ideas of what's going on and can help you narrow down the search, but this is a private matter we wish to discuss with Young Justice," Julia commented cryptically, surprising the team.

"I am Young Justice's supervisor and the Justice League's representative. Any material related to this mission you can discuss with full disclosure with me present."

"What's so important about us that you don't want to tell Red Tornado here? It's not life threatening is it?" Lucas questioned taking note that the couple in front of them were acting very tense. They knew something that was going to change their lives.

"It has to do with your time as Project Hero Light and some details that we didn't disclose to give you a chance to recover. Mr. Red Tornado, I understand that you want answers and the kids will be more then happy to talk about the relevant portions with you, but for now please leave. Tanya and Amber will escort you outside to help with the volunteer work. When were done talking, Young Justice will find you," Julia said as her assistants dragged the android out the room. Julia tapped a few glowing dots on the floor securing the room before sitting down again.

"Okay you're beginning to freak me out. What is going on? What does this latest spree of crime have to do with us?" M'gann said.

"Yeah and why do you look so guilty? Please if there's something you hid from us and the League, you must have had a pretty good reason for it," Athena stated trying to determine what was bothering the pair.

"Its very complicated, but you have the right to know. This affects all of you equally. As you know, the Light of Destruction sowed its seeds into the DNA of its avatars granting them the power, vision, and influence it needed; until its cosmic power grew strong enough to enact its final plans to take control of the whole universe if not the multiverse."

"Yeah we know that. They built an empire to aid them and to keep any do gooders from messing up their plans. The Omega droids, the genomorphs, even the soldiers and weapons were just parlor tricks to their alliance they created and the culmination of generals that we became. What's the conspiracy connection because I'm not seeing it," Zairia mentioned.

"Young lady, did you ever wonder how they created such powerful techs or designed you twelve so well? Do you know why you have been largely left alone after you were freed and why the bad guys even now are craving to become you?"

"I had thought that the fear of us, or our mentors, was keeping us relatively safe. You're saying there is another reason. What other reason could there be to for villains to want to be us?" Kaldur said.

"Because you're immortal that's why," Julia whispered, shocking all the kids. A feeling of abject washed over them threatening to undo all their progress, as they contemplated Julia's words, wondering if they could be possibly be true. A billion thoughts were going through their heads at the moment. It just didn't make sense how could they be immortal? They nearly wasted away in coma; they got seriously injured to the point of death. They were growing and changing. No way could they be immortal.

"You better explain that in full detail right now because there is no way that's possible!" Connor threatened. The others nodded in agreement fearful of what was coming next.

"Please calm down, and we'll explain everything about you, the Light, and what your new enemies are after. It's just very complicated. Project Hero Light was the pinnacle of years of research and development; along with the use of both past and future technologies working together. Even factors such as, being touched by the Light of Destruction and Darkness of Purity, or restoring your souls; have changed you into something that is far more fantastic. Early on the Light used its power on a time traveler named Epoch forcing him to go all the way into the thirtieth century to steal technology and information from the Science Police. I believe he had a few run ins with your father Connor and the Legion of Superheroes. You should ask him about it sometime. He also went to the past stealing relics and species to aid them in the present where they were developing and using vast resources and rare items to help the design the process in creating the Project Hero Light."

"The culmination of all those items along with the Light's powers, would have been more then enough to design a process to create immortal generals who carried out their wills, though limiting if they wanted to preserve the effects. That's why they simply didn't clone us. The affects would lessen each time even if they found a way around the deterioration problem," Taji whispered quietly. The boy was shaking as it sank in how much was invested into them.

"Dear God, what did they do to us exactly? What did you _not_ share with the League," Terry asked in disbelief.

"The process developed to create you gave you unique abilities. Some your families are aware. Your DNA is the cleanest of any individual in the universe without any genetic flaws or impurities. You have advance healing factors improving your recovery speed by at least eighty percent. What your families don't understand is how much this affects your other systems. Your immune system can tackle billions of threats ranging from poisons to viruses. All organs, enzyme process, and hormonal influences operate at a one hundred and fifty percent with at least two back up process. Your aging has slowed down considerably. You'll still look very young when you're in your sixties," Dubbilex explained.

"Anything else you want to share with us, like other hidden abilities perhaps? Its just crazy how can I be immortal if I've got these scars?" Nerissa muttered angrily.

"Yeah can we die or pass on these traits to offspring?" Dick wondered.

"Your immortal in the sense it takes a great deal to kill you and that you live a lot longer then others. Traumas like surgeries will leave impressions such as scars, but they fade faster and you'll heal just fine. There are other abilities Dick, you just might not like the answer."

"We already are in shock of what you've told us, so why don't you just spit it out already," Shania snapped.

"Very well, there are unconscious instincts inside you that you can tap into if you focus. You'll find that your are spatially and chronology tuned, so you always know the time and place, even if your in other realities or time's been altered. Once more, any ability or talent that you might have possessed when you served the Light, can be accessed with enough time and patience as you evolve. You may have been restored to your almost original forms, but the power lies inside. Eventually you'll reach your full potential where you could develop new powers. From your expressions, you can understand why we kept this from the League. I know it's a lot to take in, but you're going to have to deal with it. See this not as curse, but as a gift to help others. Who knows you might find a way to undone it yourselves," Julia told the group. It pained her to see them so sad and despondent, but she didn't know what else to do, but pray that they would be okay.

The team had a lot to think about, learning that they were basically immortal and had extraordinary talents. They had recovered so much and now it was slipping away. Would they ever be at peace?

"So the bad guys they want to replicate the process for themselves? Being immortal would help gain control of the void," Athena pointed out recovering first. They had a mission to take care.

"Not exactly, your process was refined and unique only to you twelve, because the Light put a little of themselves in you, via the Hero Code, that doesn't exist anymore. The files they tried to hack were about early research attempts to create eternally youthful soldiers that were partially immortal, but the process was never complete. The Light got wary of having so many people that could turn on them so they limited to you."

"Someone with enough brain power and knowledge could, theoretically finish the project especially if they had the right scientists and doctors for them to use. How many people would have been aware of the Project and what parts and people were needed?" Dick questioned.

"Very few. Only the financial backers, a few designers, and the immortal consultants asked to help with the Project before it was mothballed. Even then, you would need someone who could get the whole thing operational."

"The scientists who were kidnapped or killed could do that, but why kill them if you need them?" Shania wondered.

"Not an accident my dear, several key scientists were given timed aneurysms to prevent the knowledge from falling into the wrong hands. Terrible really, the people died after being forced to reveal what they knew before their kidnappers got smart and stopped triggering them," Julia replied.

"Your missing genomorphs probably were captured to help with this Project. Do you know how the early immortal projects were designed to work?"

"No, I wasn't born then and the entire Project was shut down and kept in lockdown. I only know that it required enormous power, several key neurologists to monitor the process, and that they used young people in some way to power up the soldiers."

"So to recap; a power struggle is happening and one group is making a bid for power by using old Light technology to help grant them immortality by stealing parts and kidnapping people to finish the process. Most likely they'll be on the move to get the human factor they need and private place to set up shop. The question is who gave them the blueprints they needed, who is running the show and where are they now?" Kaldur stated.

"Well we know they have enough cash and experience to pull off high profile heists and kidnappings so that helps narrow this list down a bit. Maybe the League or their allies can figure out the rest," Zairia recommended to the team. "We're still mad at you for keeping this from us, but I think I at least can understand why you did what you did."

"That goes for me as well. Sometimes it is important to be ignorant of such knowledge and be happy with what is so you live your life the best you can shaping your own future," Taji replied.

"You stole that line from an anime didn't you?" Wally teased.

"Shut up!"

"Well this is one Sunday I won't forget. Oh man, this is going to be one of those weeks isn't it? Finals, dances, and missions to save the world you know? Even immortals can't get a break," Nerissa joked causing everyone to laugh and relax. Dubbilex squeezed Julia's hand acknowledging that they had done the right thing and Young Justice had enough gumption to get past this new obstacle. What and when they told their families was up to them.

After relaying what they needed to Red Tornado, the group finished their volunteer work heading home for some studying and fun, but all was not well on the home front.

When Dick and Terry got home, both their cells were ringing. Dick saw that his call was from Anne and answered. "Hey Anne what's up? You need help with studying?"

"No, I was calling because I was wonder if you heard from Umi today?"

"Umi from Computer Science class? No I haven't, we're not really friends and we don't talk that much. Why, what's up?"

"His mom called my mom saying he's gone. He left early this morning and she can't find him. He's not answering his cell and she's looked for him at his usual places. I hope he's alright."

"He's probably gaming somewhere and doesn't want to be disturbed. I'm sure he's alright, but I'll keep my eyes out. See you at school tomorrow."

"Okay bye!" The second she hung up he turned to Terry who was looking very agitated and troubled. "What happened?"

"That was Madison, she's hysterical. Matt snuck out and they can't find him anywhere. She's tried to use her Guardian Angel abilities, but they aren't much help if I'm not the one missing. Mom's really worried and was wondering if you guys could look for him tonight on patrol tonight."

"Another missing kid? Don't worry we'll find him I promise," Dick told his brother wondering if this was connected to the case.

With Lucas he was also wondering the same thing. He had gone to the flower shop to chat with Panas and to see his growing bouquet only to find out the boy was missing. This didn't coincide well with Nerrisa call telling him Quisha had vanished. What was going on?

Athena was on her computer typing up some papers when she got an IM from Sasha telling her that it appeared Odette had skipped her music lessons and was now missing. Another IM from Connor had her worried since his best friend Chad was nowhere to found in Smallville. Other alerts were coming in from YJ members saying civilian friends/classmates had all vanished. One thing was apodictic, that new evil was making their power play now and had to be stopped.


	6. Operation Immortality

The news of the missing civilian teens was hard to swallow; especially when the number climbed to sixty in only a few short days. The police and FBI were trying to understand who could have orchestrated such a scheme. The League discovered a link between the victims. It seemed that all of the victims were high profile players on, "Secret Fantasy Hero Life." Each of them had received an email by the creators about meeting to discuss their reward. That's when they vanished. Oracle had been called in to inspect the game and the company behind its creation. What she had discovered was disturbing.

"The company that created the game is legit until you look deeper and it's revealed to be owned by a shell company. Following the paper trail, I saw that the company is being used by Intergang to help with their activities. Interestingly enough, several investors in the company funding the game are other crime families, including the Italian Mafia, the Irish Mob, and even the Yakauza," she told her old friend Batman, from her Tower, as she gave her report. The League had assembled in the Watchtower to go over the findings and plan their next move.

"It's not normal for crime families to work together towards common goal. In fact, it's quite the opposite with them normally competing to control different markets," Hal/Green Lantern pointed out.

"Stranger things have happened. In fact this seems tame in comparison to many of our recent adventures. If they've shown us anything is that evil will collaborate if it means they get what they want," John/Green Lantern responded.

"What else did you learn about the game?" Superman asked, trying to keep the meeting on track. They needed to find the missing kids fast.

"The game itself was being monitored by someone using a worm program to probe the computers of the players and get into their personal life. Whoever it is, they're an expert at computers and are using advance programming to keep one step ahead of me. I suspect Calculator is the one behind just by the codes used. He's one of the few cyber villains with the skill to pull this off successfully."

"Still that begs the question why the gangs hirer him in the first place. Why are the gangs working together? How did they even know about the inventory in Warehouse X? And what's the connection between the kidnappings of the scientists and doctors with the game players? Why are they working together in illegal activities amassing so much money right now? Where are they hiding? The kids were abducted between Sunday and Tuesday. Its now Thursday night and we're no closer to figuring out if the kidnapped kids are even alive and what the gang wants with them," Flash asked the group, hoping for an answer, but getting none.

"Dubbilex admitted that files they tried to get, were part of early eternal youth and possible immortality experiments, developed by the Light. They often had very mixed results and often ended erroneously. He testified that the development was never completed and much of the research destroyed. He's also fairly certain that while the financial backers, such as Intergang, would be aware of the exsistance of the experiments, they wouldn't know the details or have access to blueprints and files, to try and recreate them with favorable results," Red Tornado reported.

"Eternal youth? Immortality? You're joking right? No one can create either of those in some crazy lab experiment. It's just not possible," Vixen stated deadpanned.

"I have to agree with her. Mankind has discovered and invented many things, but eternal youth and immortality are gifts best left up to the Gods," Wonder Woman added with confidence that no one could recreate what her Gods had.

"So where did they get their information and what are they attempting to do if the experiments all ended in failure?" Black Canary questioned.

"We have a lot of pieces, but we need to get more if we're to put this puzzle together. Thank you for your help Oracle. I want your operatives to continue investigating and see what you can find out about this alliance that's evolved. See if you can determine whose running the show."

"Understood Batman, Oracle out." Batman smiled softly as his old friend vanished before turning back to League. "Her findings are consistent with the evidence I discovered from Warehouse X. Still, I'm confused as the rest of you about this new alliance. If Intergang and its new partners are making a bid for power in the void we helped create, then it's imperative that we stop them in their tracks. We need to find out more information and as soon as possible."

"Too many innocent and young lives are at stake for us to do otherwise. Perhaps we should ask Young Justice to investigate the gangs' strongholds to see if they can learn more," Captain Atom suggested, but was immediately vetoed by most of the League.

The kids had a rough week as it was with discovering their civilian friends/acquaintances had gone missing. The schools had debated about canceling finals and the dances, but in the end had proceeded ahead. While missing children were important the rest of the students had to focus on something more positive. Tomorrow was the last day of school full of finals, dances, and other activities. Disturbing them now was not a good idea. Besides Green Arrow assured them that someone was acting on Young Justice's behalf trying to get the answers to solve the whole puzzle.

Red Arrow was in Vietnam searching the streets of Ho Chi Minh City for a contact of his. Using the online handle Arsenal, he'd been posing as a mercenary for hire on chat rooms and message boards building up a reputation in the underground. He'd faked some jobs and managed to secure some clientele, all while keeping his eye on his charge. Robin had come to him asking for his help, knowing that he'd developed connections in the underworld that could be useful to them. Robin had asked him to investigate the financial backers and consultants to the early eternal youth/immortality Projects to see if they were collaborating on the crime spree and see if he could pick up some clues about the missing kids. Red Arrow had agreed and soon got a ping from a contact calling themselves Lian, asking to meet him in Ho Chi Minh, so here he was. As he peregrinated the streets searching for his contact he couldn't help, but wonder what was up with his friends.

Robin had not been his usual cheerful smart alecky self when he'd called asking for help. He seemed to be subdued and listless. When Roy had tried to find out more; his charge had snarled angrily at him startling the human Guardian Angel. He'd tried using those powers to get a feel for the problem and all he'd gotten was mixed messages. It wasn't just Robin. He'd talked to all the members of Young Justice before he left so they knew where he was going and they all had the same expressions. Connor had even been comforting Megan who looked rather blue (literally!) while Kaldur hadn't met his eyes when they talked. They were hiding something and he hoped whatever it was they came out soon and tell someone.

"I wish Lian would just hurry up and show themselves, because I'm tired of walking the same stinking alley waiting for them oof!" Red Arrow was caught off guard when someone dropped down from the rooftop and kicked him hard in the chest. Acting instinctively he pulled out his bow and fired a volley of arrows at his assailant.

The assailant dodged the first two and sliced in half the remaining one with the tip of her sai. She jumped across dumpster tops tossing senbons at Red Arrow who spun his new stronger fiberglass bow deflecting the senbons. He somersaulted under his attacker and fired an electrical arrow that grazed his attacker's right arm numbing it. Even with one arm partially numb the female refused to give up, coming at him one hand stabbing at him drawing blood when he wasn't quick enough to get out of the way. He grabbed one of his regular arrows and used it to block and defend himself from the attacker. She knocked it out of his hand and punched him in the stomach enjoying the sounds of borborygmus. She drove her knee into his groin and then shoved him into a wall. Red Arrow dropped his bow struggling to break free when the assailant made her final move, kissing him passionately catching him completely off guard.

"What's the matter forget about me already?" a voice purred in his ear. The moonlight finally came out from behind the clouds allowing him to clearly see his attacker. Cheshire had shed her porcelain mask and was looking at him with a bit lust and playfulness in her eyes. To say he was shocked to see her was an understatement. "Oh don't give me that look. You know you liked it just like you enjoyed the last time we kissed."

"That was almost six months ago when we were after the same bad guy and you forced yourself on me as I recall. Cheshire, what are you doing here attacking me? If this is another one of your games I don't have time for it. I have business to conduct."

"Yes, you do with me _Arsenal_. Don't look so surprised you really need to work on your evil resume if you want to avoid being discovered so easily," Cheshire informed him. She released her hold reluctantly.

"You're Lian? How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"Red and Green shoot straight, but don't bend. That was our contact code wasn't it? Relax hero, I'm not here to hurt you or kill anyone. I'm acting on behalf of my employer, Ra's al Ghul."

"Why would your boss be interested in helping the good guys with our current crises? Shouldn't he be taken advantage of the Leagues preoccupation to being making his bid for control of the void left behind from the Light? Rumor has it; he was one of the top allies in their empire if he let your fellow Shadows train Projects. Not to mention he was consultant in some of their earlier experiments with immortality and eternal youth."

"Ra's was one of the Light's most valuable partners and respected them greatly for the way they worked. He helped them further their goals including that mission where we met; in exchange they promised him what he most wanted. However, the Light fell a little short on that one when they finally enacted their final plans."

"What they promised the world to your boss? If he was stupid enough to believe that then he's- okay shutting up no reason to get violent woman!" Red Arrow yelped as she threatened to cut off his manhood with her sais. "So what did happen?"

"The Light promised to bring about an ecological revolution once they had taken control of the world. As they spread their message across the universe; Ra's would be in charge of Earth like a governor so to speak only they were recreating it in their image. You asked why Ra's wouldn't take advantage of the situation and why he'd help your friends. It's because of his honor. He's been around for centuries and knows that once the dogs are done, fighting for the bone and nursing wounds, he can move in to take the prize by being patient. He's helping now, not just because it aids him in the long run, he feels he owes three favors towards Young Justice that he must repay."

Red Arrow raised one eyebrow quizzedly not understanding the man's reasons. Young Justice had fought the Shadows numerous times foiling their plans. To his knowledge, his friends had never met the man himself so why did he want to help Young Justice. Cheshire shrugged her shoulders confused a bit to, but continued to deliver the message her master had given her.

"First off, your friends stopped the Light and restored this world to much of its former glory with the help of their angel friend. Even you were a valuable part of this Mr. Guardian Angel. By helping free them, you gave them the power to defeat the Light, which Ra's is thankful for because of their betrayal. That's his first favor. The second favor is because in a strange way the current crisis has connections to the new state of being of your friends. A state my master is familiar with."

"What are you betokening Cheshire? My friends have completely recovered from what the Light did to them. Sure, a few of them have had a tough time adjusting to the changes with their bodies, but that doesn't make them have something in common with your boss."

"Your charge hasn't told you what he recently learned has he? None of them have and I wouldn't be shocked if they kept this secret to themselves for awhile. After all learning that you're not like everyone else now can be difficult to grasp. Ra's feels responsible for their condition so he wants to help them understand it. That and the final favor are that they could become valuable members to him one day is the final reason he wants to help."

"Is your boss collecting on all three favors now?"

"No, just one Arsenal dear, oh, sorry Red Arrow. You see while the Light may have subtly controlled most minds certain allies were allowed to keep their free will, which included the bankers or organized crime families. They were not happy with their low status on the pyramid and planned to overthrow the Light. Your friends were scheduled to kill them until you know."

"How were they planning to keep control of the empire? They got some power, but not enough to keep everyone in line. They may have a vision, but not the means to implement it on a grand scale. They certainly don't have enough influence to scare people into following their lead. Not alone they don't."

"Agreed, which is why Intergang made deals with the mafias and mobs to pool their resources together in attempt to control the void left behind in an Alliance. Not easy when you don't trust your partners. and harder when heroes and governments of the world are implementing crack downs as they try to undo the former empire. Intergang needed an edge to remain dominate and stake their claim."

"The early R&D projects into eternal youth and partial immortality. Dubbilex confirmed that Ra's was a consultant on the experiment, but it was scraped and never completed. The process didn't work."

"Didn't work well, but it had partial success. Intergang knew that with the right resources from their new allies and some new tech the process might work. They just needed the list of scientists and the blueprints to put it together before seeing about completing it. Ra's had those and it was quite the negotiation with the Shadows for them to get what they wanted. I enjoyed it so much. In the end Ra's gave them what they wanted, extracting a promise they wouldn't target certain group of people, as main resource for their project, which included your friends."

Red Arrow was scared, wondering if Ra's had figured out his friend civilian identities, but the way Cheshire was speaking indicated he used their hero handles. "How does the process work and where are the gangs now? They've gone into hiding and the League is running out of time to save those kids from whatever fate this Alliance have in store for them."

"I'm not sure about the process; only that the kids are need as a key element to ensure the process works. I do know that Black Mask, Rupert Thorn, and Penguin have offered up their new casino in Vegas as a base of operations. The Alliances top members are meeting there Friday night, state side, to have an auction before undergoing the process. They stole that medial equipment and kidnapped the doctors to make sure that nothing goes wrong with the process. The testing on slaves the Italian Mafia human trafficked was completed with success, so now they're ready to do it state side. Once it's successful they'll bring in their overseas partners and resources to make their final move. It's going to be quite the party."

Red Arrow glanced at his watch and did a quick time differential check. It had taken him hours to get here and track down Cheshire. It was now at least three in the afternoon East Coast. He needed to hurry and contact the League and tell them what was going on. He knew how organized crime worked. Once the doctors and scientists did their part, they be killed and the kids probably would be dead. He took a folder from Cheshire containing information about locations and names of the operations and other useful information. "Thank you for the help. I owe you one Cheshire."

"Jade, and I intend to collect Roy. It was a pleasure to help you out. Remember Ra's will pay back his other two favors when the time is right for him. We'll meet again and continue our little tryst. Until we meet again my archer," Cheshire whispered seductively, before kissing him again. She vanished into the night and he hurried off to contact the League.

It was a couple hours later, the members of Young Justice were starting to get ready for the dances, which started at six thirty and went to ten thirty. Each of them was in a different stage of getting ready when their communicators went off. It was a signal from the Justice League that there was an emergency meeting and that they had to transport immediately to Mount Justice. That caused a few problems as they dropped everything to get to the Mount ASAP.

Their mentors were preparing the briefing when the kids appeared in the main room in a state of disarray. M'gann let out a meep, erubescent madly as she quickly morphed into her uniform after stumbling out of the shower and into a blushing Connor's arms in her natural state. Connor himself was wearing dress shoes and carrying the rest of his dress clothes and a slightly crushed gift. Shania's hair was in state of disarray as she had tried to coif it when the call came and Kaldur scent of sea salt was mixing badly with the cologne he bought. The rest of the girls had half applied make up or part of their outfits on. The rest of the boys were busy checking to make sure they still had the tickets to the dance or their flowers and gifts hadn't been smashed during the frantic teleportation.

"Sorry to pull you away from your dance preparations, but I'm afraid your plans will have to be put on hold for now. We've received an intelligence report from Red Arrow that indicates the situation with the Alliance, is reaching a critical stage. If we're to prevent a disaster all hands are needed," Batman explained patiently.

"We understand that heroics come first. Just give us a few minutes to change into our uniforms. We'll be right back!" Zairia commented. Everyone except Megan went to their private rooms to change safely, yet with great sadness, putting away their dance related paraphernalia. They would never admit it out loud, but they were deeply upset the might miss their dance. Their faces were expressionless as they assembled awaiting their orders.

"It's come to our attention that Intergang has formed an alliance with several key crime families, in attempt to build up their own strength so they can make a bid for power in the underworld. Red Arrow and the League confirmed that they solicited a consultant on one the early genetical experiments conducted by the Light. While we are still unsure of the exact process, we can confirm that the missing teens are used a key ingredient in the process. The heads of the Alliance and key members of their crime families, are meeting tonight in the Neo Revivification Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. The Hotel is under reconstruction, so it's the perfect cover to smuggle in stolen tech and people under the cover of construction supplies and workers," Batman briefed the team.

"Sounds like a fun time in Sin City. Wonder if they're going to hit the slot machines while they're at it? Joking, just trying to lessen the tension in the air jeez," Kid Flash muttered.

"Stay focused Kid Flash this is important. What are the parameters of the mission and who will be accompanying us?" Green Lantern JR. asked patiently.

"Your mission is three folds. It's imperative that you capture the heads of these gangs before they finalize their Alliance and undergo the procedure. If the procedure is successful, they'll be much harder to deal with in the long run for both the authorities and us," Black Canary replied.

"Also they will kill the scientists and doctors afterwards to prevent them from repeating the process on anyone else, even if they have been bribed. The Yakuzua will not stand for any chance of leak especially if they are dealing with non family members," Katana added.

"You're going to have to also disable the stolen equipment and see to the safety and health of the hostages. We have no idea what has been done to them over the week or even if they're all alive. You have to prepare yourself mentally for anything understood?" Hawkwoman pressed the teens, indicating how important this mission was.

"We are prepared to deal with whatever comes. You can count on us not to lose our focus. I promise you that we'll make sure all the hostages are rescued safely and in good health," Hawklady stated looking her mother in they eyes daring her to challenge her.

"We also have reason to suspect that Calculator is on the payroll and has stolen a huge amount of both, personal and financial, data that could cripple the victims and their families. It will be up to you to retrieve this data and erase all traces of it from their hardware and their minds," Red Tornado warned them.

"Between Batboy and I, that data is good as nashed from their minds and computers. I'll scramble it up myself turning it upside down and sideways if I have to," Robin antiphon, his masked eyes set with determination.

"You still haven't told us who will be accompanying us on this mission. Who are we working with this time?" Miss Martian questioned. The others were curious as well; wondering how to work the team's dynamics with their supervisor's skills.

"As it is all members of the League are going to be busy on a separate, but related assignment. The Alliance is smuggling their illegal gains, as well as parts of the tech, out of the country to their other strongholds. They are getting into position to wipe out competing families and put themselves in position to weaken the governments; so they can seek control over parts of the Light's Empire that we are attempting to dissemble. With such a wide scale attack in the works the League is calling in help from other teams and the authorities to aid us," Aquaman explained startling the team. They were going on a solo mission for the first time since their capture back in February?

"I thought that we weren't ready for a solo mission. That our psychiatrists stated it was too soon. That you weren't sure our skills were ready," Artemis sputtered incredulously. This was just so unexpected that they weren't sure if what they were hearing was real.

"Your psychiatrists' reports indicated that all of you are of sound mind and are dealing with your mental traumas in a healthy manner with no indication that you're going to relapse. You've adapted to your physical changes efficiently and have followed all the rules we set. Even if this wasn't a crisis, we'd send you out on your own. We know it's sudden, but we have faith in you to do the job," Green Arrow assured them.

"If you don't think you can handle it alone we'll send someone with you," Superman started to say, but Superboy assured him they were ready. After getting the final information they needed the team got into the bioship and headed off towards Nevada hoping that everything would work out.

As they flew towards their destination Batboy was reviewing the folder of information, his brow furled as he tried to figure out what about its contents and mission information didn't sit well with him. Why would a newly formed Alliance, pool their resources to increase their profits in such an obvious manner to attract attention like this? How would you even test the process overseas with slaves, if you weren't one hundred percent ready state side with the most up to date tech and then ship parts out to those holds? It was not logical, nor was gathering personal data about teen hostages and using a game to find them, unless there was a more personal reason for it. Why did you need the newest, most up to date, neurological equipment and neurosurgeons if you had the scientists who worked on the Project? Why set up in Vegas and hire help from other groups if you were trying to dominate them? Something was up and they need to find the pivotal piece of information that would link all these questions together. As he closed the folder he turned to voice his concerns to the group when he saw their downcast and apprehensive expressions. It didn't take a growing genius IQ to know what was bothering everyone.

It was Wonder Girl who broke the attestable silence, "Enough! Miss Martian, stop the bioship! We can't complete this mission until we talk about this secret we've harbored and how it's affected us. I know the guilt of not telling my Mom what we learned, has been destroying me inside."

"How can learning your immortal hurt you so much, considering all Amazons are immortal to begin with! You should have expected this news!" Huntsmark snarled at her.

"Don't yell at Wonder Girl!"

"It's okay Kid Flash. Huntsmark, not all Amazons are immortal, such as the Bana, and besides the ones that are, have been gifted it by the Gods. I was created in a lab with the blood of an ordinary man. I didn't think it would happen and neither did my Mom. She thought I die one day and was dreading it."

"It's not like we're truly immortal; just long lived according Dubbilex. That shouldn't be a problem for Superboy and Miss Martian. I mean their species live centuries, and hey, we can die if someone does something like a cut off our heads or drops us in the middle of a nuclear blast correct?" Fate's Dagger remarked to the group.

"Do you actually want to test that theory because its not one I would like to see if we can actually die!" Artemis said, her temper flaring.

"Just because my species is long lived, doesn't mean I want to live forever. The oldest Martian was almost nine hundred years old after several hibernation cycles. I don't know if I want to live longer then that; especially if I'll be alone," Miss Martian admitted downcast and forlorn. Superboy took her hand and gave her a sympathetic look.

"I know what you mean. No one in living memory has any clue how long Kryptonians live naturally or how the effects of yellow sunlight affect our aging. I asked my Dad about the adventures he had in the thirtieth century. He didn't live that long, he just was transported there for awhile, but the point is he died at some point and I might not. It doesn't seem fair," Superboy enumerated.

"Life is rarely fair to begin with and our experiences have shaped us for this moment, whether we are ready for it or not. Look at us, nearly a year ago we were not a team and more then half of us were under the control of power greater then anything the Earth has seen. Horrors were done to us that no one should experience, yet we overcame them and worked hard at rehabilitation. Earned the right to train and become a team again," Aqualad lectured the group.

"More then that, through our bond we have become more then friends, more then family and lovers, we are something greater then that. We have earned our civilian lives and rewards that go with it along with any heroics we do. This is our greatest challenge yet and we will succeed and get our dance," Hawklady said.

"So no matter what happens, we're all in this together until the end," Green Lantern JR. said and the others nodded in agreement. They would stand together through out any trial. That's what a family did.

By the time they arrived at the location, it was night and already Vegas was showing its true colors. The police were to busy catching regular people to bother with assisting Young Justice. In camouflage mode, they flew over the hotel doing scans and Fate's Dagger cast a powerful spell to locate any hidden targets. His manna found several hidden ninjas that regular scans and Superboy's senses missed. Security was tight extending both above and below the building. If they were going to get in undetected, they would need to probe the head of security's mind to get the full details. Now all they had to do was find him.

Huntsmark, Hawklady, Wonder Girl, Artemis, Superboy and Aqualad dropped out from the camouflaged ship and took out most of the bad guys, who were regular security. Robin and Batboy worked quickly together to setup solid holograms and transponders to ensure no one knew they were there. Fate's Dagger, after disarming the Yakuza agents with his enchanted tanto, cast a powerful glamour spell to keep up the illusion all was normal. Miss Martian let out a warning as the group was belted with explosive pucks and golf balls forcing them to back up near the edge. Green Lantern JR. threw up a wall, sending tendrils of energy at the quick security agent who just batted them away, literally. Kid Flash chased after him only to get stuck in some putty unable to move as the man got ready to crush his neck. Artemis acted quickly, notching a non lethal trick arrow into her bow and using her cybernetic eyes to analyze the rooftop. Ignoring the pain in her arms, she stretched the bow super taunt and let the arrow fly, firing an impossible angle of deflection shot to capture her father, Sportsmaster.

After Green Lantern JR used his powers to imprison the goons in a pocket dimension for awhile; he used his powers to bind Sportsmaster to a neon sign. The entire team looked him expectedly and bit surprised. He ignored them only having eyes for his child who was glaring angrily at him. "Impressive shot Artemis, I see you've improved greatly since I last saw you. I knew the Light would make you more powerful then I ever could. A pity you gave up your implants for the most part. You were more dangerous as a cyborg."

"YOU! You were the one who blew my cover! It's because of you I lost my eyes and got hurt so badly!"

"I was doing what any father would do. Help his child get the better things in life," Sportsmaster responded coolly. Artemis lost it, lunging after him with her razor bowline, when Superboy and Kid Flash grabbed her.

"Artemis stand down he's not worth it! You will tell us what we want to know about the auction going on here and the experiment," Aqualad told him. Sportsmaster just laughed at them daring them to try something.

Wonder Girl lassoed him and injected him with the truth serum. "Tell us what is going on inside. Where are the hostages? What is the final end game of the Alliance?"

"Keep trying girl, I won't squeal. Unlike your mommy's lasso, this one I can resist telling the truth to ha ha."

"No good, he must have immunity to the truth serum used with my lasso. We need a more direct approach to get the information we need. Miss Martian can you read his mind?"

"Yeah, but he's got a lot of mental shields in place. It could take awhile to get through them all," Miss Martian admitted. When she saw the looks they were giving her she paled and shouted. "NO! I won't do that! I won't knowingly breach Martian protocol to get the answers we need! I can't."

"Miss Martian, we wouldn't ask you to do this normally, but time is running short. People's lives are at risk. We need that information now," Aqualad tried to persuade her, but she was backing away. Sportsmaster saw this and started laughing.

"I can't understand how any of you became the Light's greatest weapons. All of you are just too weak and fragile to do what needs to be done. You're pathetic."

"Shut your foul mouth or I'll do it for you," Huntsmark threatened, flipping some capsules in front of his face making him imagine what they were for.

"Miss Martian, I know this is tough, but the skills you picked up from Psiman can be of value when used right. We'll be right here to support you, no matter what. It'll be okay, I promise," Superboy told her encouragingly. With her friends support Miss Martian placed her hands on Sportsmaster face and concentrated all her mental energies on entering his blocked mind.

It was slow going and when she finally broke down his mental shields, she collapsed in terror of what was really going on. Quickly she shared what she saw in Sportsmaster's mind. The League was pursing a decoy trail; the Alliances real assets and operations were hidden and stored nearby. This auction was so that the Alliance members could gain new youthful bodies by having a brain transplant. As Kid Flash remarked, similar to Meg Cabot's Airhead series, the former R&D scientist along with the doctors, were going to take the aging criminals brains and put them in the capture kids bodies and then the kids would have their brains implanted in the crooks bodies. The neurologists were needed to keep the brain tissue alive and monitoring the success of the transfer. The stolen genomorphs would be forced to download the kids' memories into the criminals, to aid in this deception. When the Feds arrested the gang members and hauled them off to jail, no one would believe their protests of innocents, thinking it was an insanity defense. Before the trials even begun the timed aneurysms left by the scientist and doctors would explode killing them. Then the "rescued" teens would slip away from their joyful families and start running their operations totally under the radar. There was no limit to how many times this body snatching procedure could be done. One thing was certain time was running out and they needed to get in there fast.


	7. Casino Royal

Young Justice was reeling from the shock of discovering the depths of the Alliance's plans for their friends. It seemed to fantastical to believe, but they had no doubt it was the truth. The question was, should they contact the League to come here to help them or continue on alone? Could they even handle this on their own in their current state of mind?

"The League is chasing down false starts. We need to alert them to the situation. We need to contact them immediately. The sooner they get here the better," Aqualad commanded urgently.

"I've been trying to contact them, but the Alliance must have some kind of long range scrambler field because no transmissions are getting out. With a little time I might be able to break through, but we don't have that kind of time. That auction started twenty minutes ago. Who knows how much longer it will last before they start cutting in and taking out the brains of their hostages. We need to get in there now," Robin stated anxiously.

"Robin's right, if we don't make our move now innocents could die. So what's the plan?" Kid Flash asked nervously.

"Miss Martian, did your mind probe come up with any other facts that we can use to our advantage?" Green Lantern JR questioned his teammate. The others also stood at attention knowing from their training that any tidbit could make or break success.

"According to what I found; the main casino is being used by the Alliance for the auction. The heads of the families, along with their top lieutenants and their ladies, have assembled in the main casino buying their new bodies. Many of their enforcers are acting as security for both the event and guarding their assets in the hotel. Intergang and the Mafia arranged for supplementary security measures by hiring additional security from outside sources, such as other villain organizations as a gesture of good faith. They're getting a sizeable cut of the profits tonight as payment for their services and to prevent hits on their group."

"Typical organized crime mentality. They believe that money will placate all parties, but members of the Brotherhood, like Gemini and her stooges, and that Equus guy, don't usually work for money. They must be doing this to learn more about the Alliance for their groups. Determing their weaknesses and if they should be making a move against them," Wonder Girl surmised. The group nodded in agreement.

"That, and they're trying to get big pieces of the Light's former empire, but we can worry about that later. Who's the additional security forces we have to worry about and where are the hostages and Calculator?" Artemis interjected. They needed to stay on task if they were going to succeed tonight.

"Right, Sportsmaster met a few of them. In the casino, they're prepared for any hero intervention. They hired the Body Doubles, along with some members of the Fearsome Five, and there's one more, but I couldn't get it from his mind. He was very much locked on keeping that identity a secret; possibly a serious danger to one of our own. I could've pushed more, but I feared I'd kill him."

"No one wants you to do that. What about the hostages and doctors? Where's Calculator hiding? Should we be worried about the security system?" Huntsmark implored, barely able to stand still. She wanted to get into action soon.

"They converted the top six floors into their own private medical ward. They've got men and woman from all families armed with alien tech; patrolling the floors or keeping their eyes on the scientist and doctors, preventing them from doing anything to help the kids. The genomorphs they stole are scanning their memories, ready to install them in the new bodies while a few of the electrical ones are downstairs in the basement."

"Of course, there's a reason they picked Vegas. No one would notice them siphoning off the extra energy from the nearby strip and town and converting the power into useable kinetic energy for their machines. The delicate balance means that if we cut the power flow it could kill someone if we're not careful," Batboy explained to his team.

"Yeah, and whoever goes to rescue the hostages, will have to be extra careful. Not all the scientists are innocent. Some of them are on the villains' side. Equus is also guarding the prisoners along with. Merlyn and Gemini are assisting Calculator in the Security Center; with securing their electronic data and getting ready to transfer the Alliance illegal gains and the extra parts from Warehouse X to their new HQ."

"Security is extremely tight and it's not going to be easy to slip in with cameras and motion sensors are all over this place. In addition, we have to worry about the defense systems which are lethal. I can sense materials in the building that will block some of my magical effects. We're really going to have read outside the book if we want to avoid being detected," Fate's Dagger pointed out to the team.

"You children are pathetic. Do you truly believe that you can win this fight? You'll be dead the second you step into that building. You have no possible hope of winning. I think you should quit while you still can breath because ugh," Sportsmaster's ranting was cut off when Superboy gave him a light tap on the head rendering him unconscious.

"We don't need to listen to him blather on. Besides we've got a plan right?"

"Its true this will be difficult, but it's not impossible. We'll split into three teams of four and attack simultaneously to unbalance them. Team A consisting of myself, Kid Flash, Green Lantern JR, and Superboy will sneak into the casino and contain the Alliance there. Our objective is to quickly subdue all means of security and imprison the Alliance members for prosecution. Team B, led by Hawklady and consisting of Miss Martian, Fate's Dagger and Batboy, will teletransport inside taking out the security and saving the hostages. Batboy destroy as much of the tech as you can without endangering anyone. Be wary of who you trust. Team C, will be lead by Robin. Huntsmark, Artemis and Wonder Girl your task is to eliminate any traces of the stolen data and make sure that nothing escapes the building. I suggest you surprise your targets by entering via the windows. Stay in communication via mindlink or our bond. Don't take unnecessary risks we are not positive how this immortality works. Understood?"

"Crystal clear Aqualad. You can count on us," Hawklady said. The others nodded and the groups split heading for their destination. Time was ticking by and they knew they had to act fast.

Team A used the bioship to stealthily make their way to the back part of the casino. A scan of the area revealed a sewer entrance with pipes that ran to the tanks of exotic fish on display on the floor. There were a few spill off conduits they could take to get in unseen and observe the proceedings from the ceiling. They still needed to gather empirical evidence to ensure that no matter how fancy and expensive lawyer the Alliance members got; they would be going to prison for the rest of their natural lives and not someone else's!

The four heroes clustered together near the lip of the casino roof observing the proceedings. Men and women, dressed in expensive suits and dresses, sat comfortably at tables eating expensive cuisine as they held up their paddles. The heads of the families, including the leader of Intergang and master mind of this whole Alliance, Morgan Edge, sat near the stage where the auctioneer was using a projector to display pictures and information about the teen's body for sale.

"We have a real treat for the females gathered in the gallery. This is Duscha Romanoff, and she's fifteen nearly sweet sixteen years old. She's a star tennis player from Russia. She's extremely fit and healthy with good academic standing. Her SFHL profile reveals that she is energetic, sexy, and very cunning, the perfect ideal for any woman looking to start over. We'll start the bidding at 5,000. Do I have 5,000? Good, do I have 5,050? Come on get the paddles up you know you want this body!" The auctioneer called out. The ladies were getting into a bidding war, all desperate for the new body.

"This is disgusting. Most of the men and women down there can't be more then forty years old. Why do they want to be teens again anyways? Its not like they enjoy having people boss them around," Kid Flash remarked quietly. He was in charge of recording the proceedings for evidence. "This is just wrong!"

"What was your first clue? I've located all the exits, including hidden ones. I'll use my powers to prevent them from using them. Maybe KF can conjure a storm to toss some slot machines and craps tables in front of the exits. Superboy, how many guards in here and what are they packing?" Green Lantern JR. hissed.

"My super senses have located at least twenty to thirty regular goons packing Uzis, assault rifles, and the leaders definitely have alien tech on them. The Yakuzuas are carrying ninja gear that's probably laced with poison. The extra help is scattered across the floor and they're looking pretty aggressive," Superboy whispered. He was still having trouble identifying who was who by body temperature, so he didn't know who the mysterious security guard was was.

"Alright, we'll wait for the signal from groups B and C, before we make our move. GL JR. your task is to seal everyone into the room and KF will help you with that. As soon as they can't leave we move in and disable the guards as quickly as possible. We don't need extra gun fire. The extra help will move in to capture or kill us so we need to be ready to react as quickly as possible while dealing with the buyers trying to get into the fray. Subduing them and ensuring that Morgan Edge and the other bosses don't escape is priority. I don't need to stress how important it is that we be extremely careful. I don't want to lose anyone tonight."

"Don't worry so much Aqualad. No ones going to die tonight. We better check in with the other groups and see if they're in position yet. I'll check in with Robin you check in with Hawklady," Kid Flash stated as they both typed into the mindlink.

"_Hawklady come in. Have you managed to get into the medical wing unseen?" _

"_We're in. Fate's Dagger managed to get us into the one corridor without a camera. He's attempting to cast a sleep spell with Nabu's help, but he's not sure how strong it will be, due to some of the building materials. Batboy used one of his gizmos from his utility belt to loop the cameras and is now working on taking out the security system up here. Miss Martian is keeping a mental lookout and I'm leading us to the gutted area. I'll contact you when we get there. Be safe my love."_

_ "Yo Robin, how's repelling down the side of the casino glass front?" _

_ "Kinda of busy Kid Mouth, this isn't easy! Your girlfriend can only carry one of us is she wants to be able to fight. Artemis and I have nearly reached the floor we need to access. Just be ready speedster to react."_

_ "You know it dude." _

Hawklady crept quietly through the halls with her team. She was anxious to find the hostages and ensure that Levina and Elkin were safe. She knew what it was like to be held against your will and didn't wish for them to suffer. Suddenly Fate's Dagger stopped her from turning the corner. He unsheathed his tanto and held it at the ready. In a flash, he disappeared into an ankh shape and repapered in the corridor. Sounds of swordplay could be heard. When he gave the all clear, the three turned the corner to see bloody, but alive, members of the Yakuza some with kunai and shrunken embedded into their ninja clothes. "Nice work, but can you get rid of them for now? We don't need to alert everyone else we're here."

"I'll do it; I'll just stuff them into the empty rooms and lock the doors. I'm sensing the genomorphs; they're only a few feet from here. I'm trying to connect with their minds, but their shielded from me. I need to be in direct physical contact to talk with them."

"Then let's hurry. My computer is picking up a build up of kinetic energy, as well as detecting the presences of online medical scanners. They're getting ready to cut," Batboy whispered as he reviewed his data. The group nodded and made their way as quickly and quietly through the halls until the halls vanished and they were left in large connected surgical wards below them.

Down below the catwalk corridor and glass, scientists were monitoring the health of the sixty teens in biopods. The heroes' hearts lurched as they saw their friends' in suspended animation being poked and prodded. Batboy felt his heart drop as he saw Matt being strapped into a tube of some kind as the equipment was being hooked up. The neurologists were doing scans and preparing a tank for the boy's brain. His cowl picked up their hushed conversations. Apparently Matt had been bought by Morgan Edge himself for nearly 45,000 dollars! No way was he going to let that happen!

Robin was dangling in the middle of the air cutting open the glass window to the hotel with Artemis by his side. Huntsmark was in Wonder Girl's arm, a gadget cocked in her hand. As the glass was cut free Robin caught it. A surprised goon on the other side turned to shoot them, but Huntsmark hit him dead center with her laser lipstick, knocking him ten feet back. They slipped inside and made their way to the Security Central all of them alert for trouble. Finally, they reached their destination and all of them got ready to break in. "Okay, I'll handle Calculator and secure the data. Artemis, you take Merlyn and Wonder Girl, take Gemini. Huntsmark, the stranglers are yours if you don't mind."

"I've been waiting for a chance to bust some guts and bloody some men up. Mom and Dad will be so proud of me."

"Shh, don't alert them we're here! Signal the others. Its time," Artemis said, already notching her bow with both trick and regular arrows. Robin nodded and gave the signal along with the other teams. Taking a deep breath Aqualad gave them the okay to attack just as a bullet nearly took off his head. They had been spotted!

The auctioneer and audience froze in disbelief as goons started dropping on top of poker tables. A few of the men were dropped into the stripper cages in the back with black eyes and crushed guns. A roulette wheel went flying; as a confined bolt of green energy was used like a pool stick to tap a few of the regular guys underneath several card tables and some of the conference tables, causing many of the Alliance members to jump to their feet. The floor rumbled as Green Lantern JR landed with the weight of an elephant shocking them. His eyes lit up a brilliant green, as Aqualad deflected bullets with his water bearers; he enveloped the elevators, exits, and fire escapes, in a sparkling green sheath, not letting anything in or out. For extra measure, KF piled up slot machines and items from the bar, including cases of expensive wine, to prevent them from escaping. The boys were pretty scattered across the floor wondering what was next.

Morgan Edge removed an alien particle beam from his pocket and aimed it at Superboy. Everyone else pulled out pieces or other weapons and aimed them at the four teens. A snap of his fingers and the extra security also appeared, their expressions screaming for blood. "So the Light's precious Project Heroes Light, have graced us with their presence. I can't say I'm not totally surprised. After all, you're still the Light's stooges preventing anyone from taking their power. Let me assure you, that our Alliance is not something to be trifle with. We're just as deadly as your former masters. Even stronger than they were, with our new alien tech backing us up."

"We don't serve the Light, but we _will_ prevent you from taking the lives of innocent victims, to ensure your Alliance wins the battle for dominance," Aqualad remarked, as he formed maces of water and charging them with electricity. He crouched down waiting to see what the man did.

"You and your friends are truly pathetic if you think you can stop us. Your welcome to try, but trust me when I say you will fail," Morgan started to say, before firing his weapon. The beam struck the maces drilling right through them. Aqualad ducked backwards and to the side as the beam grazed past his shoulder obliterating the slot machines. "Any attempts to apprehend me or my colleagues will end it failure."

"We shall see about that!" Aqualad shouted charging forward, jumping over some of the female guests, who were shooting at him. He changed his weapons into whips of water, slapping their guns into the ground and giving them a nasty shock. He kicked out with his right foot smashing the ribs of several men with use of the domino effect. Four men from the Irish Mob, armed with Uzis, started shooting at him. Aqualad formed a large water shield around his body charged with electricity, beads of perspiration poured down his face, as the small deadly cartridges passed through the shield, nicking his body causing blood to spill. Ignoring the pain, he lifted the protective field up into the air making it larger. As more bullets struck him in the chest; he hurled the fluctuating globe over his attackers causing the men to be zapped and start to drown. Only when they were on the verge of passing out did he relinquish globe of water. Regular security and the audience moved to get a piece of him, but a herd of green tinged animals blocked their path. Aqualad sent a wave of gratitude through his ink mark and turned his focus on Morgan Edge and the other heads, armed with alien tech and poisoned blades looking to kill him. Gritting his teeth, he reformed his weapons and went after them.

Green Lantern JR was doing his best to maintain his connection to his animal constructs; making sure the threatening leopards and tigers injured and mauled the group, but didn't go in for the killing bite. It was difficult because right now, he was also under assault from the three members of the Fearsome Five. A bald headed Jinx, hurled balls of condensed air at him tearing apart his uniform. He flew higher into the air forming lariats of green energy on his finger tips trying to snag her arms and legs, but the female sorceress was to fast, back flipping out of the way. Green flames met green bolts as they tried to overpower each other.

"You're strong, but also only know a few tricks. I, on the other hand, can change up my attack style at any moment!" Jinx taunted, as she flipped into the air and started kicking at him with her bare feet. Green Lantern JR tried to ignore the smell of her stinky feet as he ducked under and punched her to the ground. He was then under assault by Neutron and Gizmo, who by combining their nuclear and inventive capabilities together, to shoot at him with razor sharp radioactive disks. Pain racked his body as he willed more green energy to help him fight. This wasn't going to be easy.

Kid Flash was wondering if karma had come to bite him in the butt, as he dodged exploding compacts and poison eyeliner pens, from the Body Doubles. They fought amongst the casino stages and amongst some of the higher stake games. He grabbed stacks of poker chips and started flipping and hurling them at the duo hoping to land a blow.

Blond hair Bonny, laughed as she disintegrated the chips with one shot from her thermal blaster. Carmen pulled out two mini laser pistols and took aim. Kid Flash let out a yell as one laser struck his knee and weakly managed to speed away behind the cashier counter to recover for a few minutes. "Hiding won't do you any good little boy. You're speed can't save you forever! The two of us are the best in the business." Bonnie called out.

"Why don't you just give up and we'll make your death as painless as possible. It's all the mercy that we can offer a poor, little, hero boy," Carmen added, pulling out another magazine clip. She got rid of the extra shells and the two women started stalking their prey. Kid Flash was praying that everything would be okay.

Superboy was facing his worst foe to date, someone with the power to kill him. He had just finished using his TK to lock up the rest of the guards inside the bathrooms and was turning to help his friends, when he struck by a green beam of painful energy. His entire body felt as if he was in pain and that he was dying. He had only felt like this when the RSS was used on him, but this was ten times more painful. As he was trying to figure out what was happening, someone grabbed him from behind, applying damaging pressure to his arm and shoved him face first into the floor creating a huge crater. A deadly laugh rang in his ears as he was kicked in the head. Getting angry, he shoved his assailant off his body firing weakened heat beams nailing the guy in his metallic chest, narrowly missing his kryptonite heart by inches. Ignoring his aching body, he hovered in the air to look his opponent in the eye.

"So I finally meet the Superboy. I'm not impressed. You're just a weak copy of Superman and not even worth my time. Still, ending your miserable life will be most satisfying!" Metallo laughed manically. He fired more beams of kryptonite energy at Superboy, who managed to get out of the way. Thanks to his human genes, kryptonite wouldn't kill him outright, but he couldn't avoid the effects of the deadly mineral forever. As he fought long distance he hoped the others were having better luck.

Team B was dealing with its on set of problems, as they fought to free the hostages and destroy the machinery without getting anyone killed. Batboy was attempting to get close enough to machinery, but was being blocked by members of the Alliance. They were determined to make him fail.

He flipped two of the men over his head and kicked out the feet of a third before somersaulting between the legs of other members. Jumping to his feet he kicked them in the shins and punched them hard in the chest. He transformed his fingers into claws slicing guns in half when they were aimed at him. Suddenly someone grabbed him from behind and started to suffocate him.

"Some child of Batman. You're not even going to live long enough to survive puberty. Betcha Daddy won't even miss you," his attacker hissed into his ear. Ignoring him he used the last of his energy to tap a button on his utility belt. His suit lit up like a Christmas tree as 2,000 Volts of electricity zapped the guy silly. He fell to the ground smoking. Without blinking, two blue tinged batarangs shot from his arms, embedding themselves in the guns of approaching guards, overloading them with electricity causing a miniature explosions taking out most of the goons.

Batboy took a few deep breaths trying to clear the spots from his vision. His new defense system took a lot out of him and the suit. He needed to wait a few minutes for his suit to recharge before continuing on with his mission. Seeing more goons with alien tech and a doctor with a large needle heading his way he knew he didn't have a whole lot of time. Time to dig down deep and use his capoeira skills to stay alive or die trying.

Fate's Dagger was being pushed into a corner by seven sword wielding men from the Yakuza. He knew that to them tradition was everything so they wouldn't be using guns if they could avoid it. That didn't mean much for him with them holding katanas laced with poison and him trying to block with a smaller tanto. Two blades pressed against his as he maneuvered it downwards towards the hilt. With great strain, he broke the hilt and blade, kicking the men in the groin so they'd go down. Pointing his blade forward, he chanted a spell that Nabu whispered into his mind. The tanto blade glowed gold slicing sideways creating a golden crescent shape taking out more of the men. His victory didn't last long as he more people moved in to replace them. He chanted a simple spell, "Everlife", to regain some of his energy as he flew towards the fray. He had to get rid of the goons and help Batboy!

Hawklady found herself limited by the circumstances. She had no birds to call and was limited in her fire abilities if she wanted to avoid barbecuing everyone. She had landed by a cluster of doctors and scientists to aid them; when she was forced to axle kicked one scientist who came at her with a scalpel. The down man looked at her with disgust as he picked up an oxygen tank ramming it into her chest. She winced, stumbling back towards one of the surgical tables trying to catch her breath. "You won't stop us from completing our lives work!" he shouted. The man had grabbed a syringe and she didn't want to know what it contained so she used her feet to flip him over into one of the stolen scanners.

Hawklady brought up her bo staff to protect herself as two more crazed scientist came at her. She shoved them back with the center and spun it around in a circle. having the bullets from the guards ricochet off the nth metal. She prayed none would hit anything important. Extending it she bashed a few people on the head and tried to use it to sweep a few doctors off their feet, but they jumped over it. Creating a tiny fireball she flicked it over their heads melting the control panels and damaging the power converter.

"What are you doing? You're going to ruin the experiment! We need everything running smoothly if were to perform the procedure properly!" a female scientist yelled as she struggled to put out the flames. More of the traitor doctors and scientist rush to save the equipment from the flames.

"Your experiment will cost the lives of innocents! I won't let you scan, manipulate, and then remove brains of teens, so your bosses can have youth again. I'm going to shut this procedure down now ah!" Hawklady let out a yelp of surprise as one the downed scientist stabbed her in the wing jut with a scalpel. Her wings forced him back and she took to the air clumsily to figure out her next move.

Miss Martian was having the hardest time against Equus, who was guarding the biopods and in turn the genomorphs. She had flown over to physically touch the genomorphs, so they would help her when she was grabbed by her cape and was slammed repeatedly into empty biopods. She shifted her form into thin, snake-like, dragon slipping free. Equus growled, picking up one of the empty surgical tubes and hurled it at her. It hit square in the chest pinning her up against the brain holders. She struggled to summon the strength to lift it off her, but it was no good. Equus extended his razor sharp claws ready to sever her head when she used her telekinesis to pick him up, wedging him between the ceiling lights. As she freed herself she was forced to jump back as he came crashing down.

"I'm going to squash you like a bug and play with your innards!"

"Ugh, I'm not interested!" Miss Martian shouted, going into camouflage mode as he tried attacking her with his needle like teeth. She felt his cyborg eyes on her as she raced among the biopods trying to regroup. She came to be hiding behind Marvin and Wendy's biopods. She looked at them with sadness. She tried to reach their minds, but was blocked by the genomorph whose horns got brighter, alerting Equus to her hiding place. She dove between the pods as he made a grab for her. He shoved the two pods apart nearly ripping them from the floor to get at her. Miss Martian eyes grew big with concern; knowing the dangers of uncoupling a biopod while someone was in it. She moved closer intending to stop him only to have Equus smack her so hard she flew halfway across the ward. She lay there helpless as he moved in closer to kill her.

Group C had underestimated their targets as they had raided the Security Center stronghold. A volley of gunfire forced them back into the corridor with Huntsmark rapidly firing her arrow guns to combat the bullets whizzing for their heads. Robin pulled out smoke pellets from his utility belt tossing several into the room creating a thick cloud of blinding smoke. "Move!"

He flipped into the room and took out two guards with a heel kick. He managed to side step another and twist into the air to avoid being stabbed by another guard. He moved as if made of quicksilver; twisting and twirling around the bullets as he tasered or gassed more guards. "Yes! The security guards are unsecure! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The team leader screamed as he was nailed in the back by an intense and painful attack by Calculator. The man was now wearing his trademark suit and had turned binary code for a firewall into a real attack that was attempting to eat up Robin's protective cape. He pulled the cape tighter trying to shield his body as he readied a couple of batarangs. As the beam got hotter he let them fly missing by inches, but earning a reprise as he rolled behind a counsel.

"Do you truly think that a little toy like this will stop me boy? Ha, I'm not some weak minded fool that you find in the slums of Gotham! Thanks to my employers; I'm stronger then ever and I have enough data stored to destroy hundreds if not thousands of lives. Do you really think I'm going to let some punk like you take that all away from me?" Calculator challenged as tapped a small screen on his uniform. Large digital numbers appeared in the air and the mad genius flicked them all over the large room causing explosions when they struck something. He moved steadily around the room, trying to find the boy and finish him off permanently. Robin crawled on the floor, activating his computer gauntlet, as he tried to complete his mission before his pursuer wised up.

Both Huntsmark and Artemis had been forced out the Security Center and back into the corridor. After incapacitating the Alliance's men, the two beauties found themselves under assail by the duo of Fear and Loathing, along with Merlyn respectively. Ignoring the stimulated pain in her head, Huntsmark reached into her utility belt, pulling a hand full of jacks out and flicking them at the duo. The duo initially ignored them seeing them as harmless, but regretted that decision when they grew in size and sharpness. Both big game hunters let out yelps of pain as the jacks embedded themselves into their skin tearing up the muscle underneath.

"I think you made them mad," Artemis declared to Huntsmark. Not that she was any better. After dodging most of Merylin's arrows she had taken a full Kyodo stance and launched a single arrow. The arrow had sailed smoothly through the air and grazing him in the lower abdomen. Only years of training allowed him to sidestep the projectile before he needed a new liver. The former stuntman was not happy at all with the blood staining his suit. "Its no good, we can't fight them like this in such close quarters. You lead dumb and dumber to the right and I'll go left. I'll try to get down to the loading dock and stop the trucks from leaving with the rest of the equipment."

"Alright, but be careful! There are probably a lot more dangers down there then just a miffed archer. Hey, rocker wannnabe's did you style yourself or did your mommies have to pay rejects to do it because your so ugly? Oh, did I strike a nerve well too bad!" Huntsmark taunted. She took off running down the hallways away from her friends. The angry hunters chased the girl as she ran through the floors, bounding down the steps two at time before bursting onto another level. She slid underneath a falling metal door and rolled about on the floor avoiding the security system. She took aim and fired a few arrows destroying the sensors and causing the system to go haywire.

"Okay dealt with one problem. Now what did Flamebird say about taking out these goons? What did I have to watch out for beside's their emotional stimulators?" Huntsmark whispered to herself. The answer game as Fear came up from behind and struck her with a massive stun stick. Loathing wrapped a chain around her body pulling it tighter causing it to dig into her Pseudoderm. The false flesh protected her real skin, but was getting scuffed up pretty badly. Struggling, she leaned back and jerked forward tossing the hunter into his partner. She called upon her innate feline strength breaking the chain.

"So our prey wants to play hard to get. I can't wait to mount your head on our trophy wall!" Fear snarled removing a machete from her back and started hacking at the girl. Loathing unloaded several tranquilizer darts trying to knock her out so they could kill her. Huntsmark had no choice, but to turn into her spliced form to avoid being hurt. She let out a growl and fought back with her claws, baring her teeth through her hidden face. As round two began; Huntsmark felt like a caged animal struggling to survive.

Artemis was in a similar state. She managed to outwit Merlyn and slide down a garbage chute into the basement. Once there, she jumped on top of the crates and shoved several of them over and on top of the men loading there. She launched herself onto a light and fired her crossbow severing the lights and several slot machines from their security nets. She winced at the sound of crunching glass and broken metal, but was satisfied that she prevented the goons from leaving with any stuff.

"Thank goodness ugh!" Artemis let out a cry of pain as arrow got stuck her shoulders. Another arrow struck her leg. She fell from the light crashing into several crates. She was stunned for a few minutest, but knew she had to get to safety. She crawled away from the broken machinery and sensors until she managed to find a row of poker tables. She hid behind it listening for Merlyn's steps.

"Well you certainly have an iron will my dear. Most people would have given in after being shot with two arrows and falling so far, but not you. I guess what they say about you is true young Arrowett. You have healing abilities unlike anything seen before. I'm still willing to take you on as apprentice, but first you have to surrender to me. I'm going to find you no matter where you are, so give up now," Merlyn instructed Artemis. He was looking for a blood trail as he searched the loading bay inch by inch for her. He was wondering what the girl would do when he found her.

Wonder Girl was in agony as she struggled against the shape shifting Gemini. The woman had first shot at her with two Uzis. Luckily, she managed to deflect them all with her bracelets, but that's when Gemini picked up her game. She turned into a giant flying dragon shoving them both outside the building. The dragon breathed a storm of fire on her. Wonder Girl felt the heat melting her uniform as she brought up her shields to defend herself.

The storm stopped and the creature attempted to grab her out of the air, but she was to quick and flexible weaving around the building and neon signs. She landed next to the base of the sign and wretched it free. Winding up she batted the dragon far into the distance. Dropping the sign, she flew towards the building to help Robin, but was blindside as she was struck in the side by an eagle. It raked it talons and bit at her with its beak, trying to blind her. Wonder Girl reach down and tossed her lasso around the creature frying it and forcing Gemini back into her human shape. "Why are you helping them with this? I thought that the Brotherhood didn't consort with low level, family of crooks, like Intergang."

"You would be surprised, little girl, whose company you invite into your bed when the need arises. The Brotherhood of Evil needs new business partners all the time if we want to get ahead in the evil business," Gemini snarled, as she grew a pair of bat like wings and long thin claws. She mercilessly attacked Wonder Girl who struck back with all her super strength. The two continued their mid air tussle fighting with all they had. Gemini transformed her arms into pile drivers, forcing Wonder Girl through the sidewalk and into the sewers below. The young Amazon was swept into a small alcove, bloody and battered. Her head hurt and she heard the shape shifter drawing closer. She was hurting so badly she didn't know if she could defend herself.

"I can't pass out; too many people are counting on me to help them. My team needs me," Wonder Girl whispered woozy. She activated her ink mark, looking at it and feeling the bond she had with her team. She could sense their pain and fear, but also their courage and belief that they could succeed. She knew she had to draw on that bond right now to heal and for the strength to continue.

"Listen to me everyone; I know you can feel me. We need to work as one if we're to save our friends and stop the Alliance. We can do anything we set our minds to. Dubbilex said we could become more then what we are as long as we believe in ourselves. I believe in us," she thought. Through her bond the other's marks lit up and they felt the same surge of emotions and belief going through their bodies. They felt their bodies healing and new possibilities coming to life. As their enemies drew closer for the kill their bond echoed with calmness and power.

Wonder Girl pushed herself to her feet and blocked the tentacle like arms of Gemini. The woman snarled and wrapped her limbs all over the girl trying to smother her, but the young teen bit her causing her to loosen her grip. Wonder Girl smashed her boots on top of her opponent's toes before sucker punching her in the jaw. The shape shifter transformed into a gator and snapped her jaws trying to take a chunk out of her. Wonder Girl jumped and flipped over the behemoth avoiding becoming a meal.

Grabbing her lasso, she extended the rope snagging the tail and twirling the creature into a nearby barred up drain. Gemini transformed her arm into a spear point stabbing her in the gut. Blood started pouring out as Gemini twisted her morphed limb causing damage. "I must say this is the most enjoyment I've had in my life. To think, I'm going to be the first person in ages to kill an Amazon!"

"You better keep wishing because that's not going to happen!" Wonder Girl grunted activating her photon shields and severing the limb in her body. The stump fell out and she watched as her body healed rapidly, closing the wound in mere seconds. Through the bond she felt a tug in the back of her mind; it felt like Hawklady was sending her knowledge about how to do something. As she glanced down at the scurrying rats she recalled something her mother had told her.

"_Your powers are great my little moon and stars. You've gone a long way in mastering your superior strength, speed, and flexibility. Your durability is growing stronger all the time and you've gotten the hang of flying. Still, there a few gifts I have that I rarely use that I hope one day you'll make use of them."_

_ "What gifts are you talking about Mom? I thought I knew all your powers."_

_ "I don't use this gift often, but I have special empathy with animals. Sometimes I can use them to aid me. One day you might learn this charm." _

As she looked down at the scurrying rats among her; a plan of attack popped into her mind showing her how to beat the shape shifter. She saw exactly what to do to obtain victory. Concentrating, she ignored the slithering shape shifter, focusing her efforts on the rats calling them to her. More and more appeared in the sewers massing at her feet. She felt their instincts in her mind and gave them one simple command. "Attack."

Gemini never knew what hit her. The shape shifter was swarmed by hundreds of biting and scratching vermin overwhelming her. She shifted from animal to animal and person to person trying to get them off her, but they still attacked. She was so busy trying to get them off her she didn't notice Wonder Girl flying at her and dragging her up through the storm pipes and hurling into a neo sign zapping her. Wonder Girl pounded on her until she was stuck in the middle of the street unable to move. The woman passed out and after making sure she could escape, the teen flew off to help her squad leader.

Artemis held her bow tightly and got ready to move. Her mark was glowing as she loaded a single arrow into her quiver. She aimed and willed her arms to act as if they still had their implants in them. Underneath her skin, the bone and tissue seemed to transform back into her implants. When she heard Merlyn draw close she leapt out from behind her crate firing. The arrow zinged through the air with such velocity it split the other arrow in half.

"Impressive my dear. I see you're determined to stop me. At last it will be your downfall."

"You talk to much Merlyn," Artemis snapped, firing two electro arrows, which he deflected with his bow, but that's what she wanted. The electric arrows exploded in front of the slot machines, charging them up so they spat a jackpot all over the man. She rushed forward releasing a volley of smoke arrows covering her tracks.

Merlyn was no fool and used his ears to pinpoint the girl's location. He shot several razor sharp arrows expecting them to find their mark, but Artemis surprised him by catching the arrows and returning them with increase speed. He dodged the first few, but one managed to go clean through his leg leaving him in a kneeling position. As the smoke cleared, he saw Artemis a few feet away in her Kyodo stance with a single arrow notched. "Green Arrow said you two like to have shoot outs. Why don't we see whose the better archer here? I won't even use my eyes or special gifts."

"You're challenging me to a shoot out; knowing I've beat your mentor more times then he's won against me? You are truly his apprentice. Very well, on the count of five," Merlyn ousted. Both took their stance and Artemis closed her eyes. Merlyn smirked knowing this would be easy. On the count of five they fired. Both projectiles flew towards their targets, but Artemis's shaved across Merlyn's slowing it down. She was able to deflect it with her bow side and smirked as her smashed his to pieces. Charging forward, she smashed the bow against his head, kicked him in the side and then elbowed him in the gut. She flipped over his body and shoved him down the money pile firing a bolo arrow tying him up and gagging him.

"Guess there's a new shot in the arrow world. See ya later," Artemis called out as she headed back upstairs to help Huntsmark.

Huntsmark had recovered from her early wounds and had pushed her spliced form further; becoming even more panther like as she pounced on Fear. The emotional stimulator was pressed up against her head, but she sunk deeper into her animal instincts away from the fear. She bit down on the hand with the device, crushing it with her jaws. Angrily, the woman took out a knife from her hip slashing her across the nose.

Huntsmark stumbled backwards as blood filled up behind her mask. She reverted to her human form as blood trickled out from her eye holes. As she struggled to regain her senses, Loathing hit her over the head with a club again and again. Huntsmark growled, grabbing her fedora and tossing it at him. It became a flying razor carving up his face and arms and splintering his weapon.

"You little piece of s***! I'm going to break every bone in your body and use them for my eating utensils!" Loathing screamed at her as both big game hunters locked rifles on her. Huntsmark cocked her arrow guns knowing it wouldn't be a fair fight, that is for _them. _ She let out whoop of joy as Artemis fired two boxing arrows that collided with the big game hunters heads adjusting their aim just enough for her small arrow darts to lodge in the barrel. When they squeezed the resulting explosion sent them several feet back cover in shrapnel wounds. Huntsmark removed a putty pellet from her belt and cracked it. She tossed it over the hunters sticking them to the wall.

"Next time you go hunting; don't assume the prey is stupid. Thanks for the assist Artemis, I knew you would come. I felt it."

"No problem glad I was able to help. Will they be okay? That explosion looked like it hurt them badly."

"The putty is specially designed to not only hold them, but heal surface wounds. They'll be okay until the League arrives. So why don't we call them and find out how our friends are doing against the walking calculator?"

Robin was in a pinch along with Wonder Girl by the time the other two arrived. Firewalls and adware along with mathematical signs flew through the air trying to obliterate the four of them. Every time Robin tossed a birdarang Calculator would destroyed it. Both Wonder Girl and Robin fired lines at his limbs attempting to restrain the man, but he laughed pulling them closer. He hit Wonder Girl in the face and dangled Robin above the ground laughing. His suit formed a protective shield keeping Huntsmark and Artemis out.

"Dude, you rank. Might I suggest you invest in a shower?" Robin gasped as he tried to reach for his utility belt. Calculator laughed shoving the bird boy into shield frying him. "Ahhhhhh!"

"This is more entertaining then I thought it would be. Destroying you and your little program is more fun then I initially realized," Calculator taunted as he yanked the flash drive from Robin's neck crushing it. "Your smart, but I'm smarter then all of you combined. There's nothing you can do to stop us."

"You'd think that, but there's more then one way to bring down tech including your suit!" Robin retorted flipping free and tasering the man. Robin rebounded flipping behind him and lashing out so he stumbled. Somersaulting out of the way he ducked under and grabbed Calculator's arm flipping him onto the floor. He plugged his hacker tool into the suit and took control; turning it on the user causing the man to twitch like a ragdoll before Huntsmark sprayed him with an aerosol can to make him forget what he hacked. Wonder Girl and Artemis found some restraints in the office and were tying them up as Robin frantically tried to delete the data and all copies of it.

"I can't hack this! His firewalls are too well written and every override I used just keeps getting quarantined. I would destroy the councils themselves, but they could still recover it from the hard drive!"

"Robin isn't there any other trick you could use? They can't have this data," Wonder Girl reminded him.

"There is one trick, but I don't know if it will work. I don't have it anymore and I don't know if I want it back."

"Robin, you don't have to be a metahuman if you don't want to be, but sometimes it's necessary to use any gift to help achieve victory. I felt my insides revert back to implants for a few seconds down in the loading bay before becoming normal again. It won't be forever just a second," Artemis pointed out. Huntsmark nodded her head in agreement.

Robin took a deep breath and placed both palms on the security consuls focusing as hard as he could. He kept chanting under his breath willing his metagenes to activate. Nothing happened and he feared it was to late when all the computers glowed his colors. He saw the data and everywhere it was. Straining, he put back the data where it should be under safer guard, before erasing it from the Alliances system and blowing the consuls to smithereens. As the girls' helped him to his feet they hoped team B and A were doing okay.

Team B was using their bond to help give the others in the group insight and strength to finish what they had started. Batboy got to his feet, palming something from his belt. Two goons started firing pinpoint concussive wave guns at him when he rocketed into the air releasing his glider wings. He twisted and flew just out of reach moving at the last second so they would miss him and shoot the power converters. With them out, it be risky to proceed with the surgery.

"You idiots stop firing! He wants you to destroy the converters!"

"That little punk! How are we supposed to get him if we can shoot?"

"Your not bozos! I'm going to get you," Batboy stated dropping his little surprise into their gathering. It was a powerful electromagnet that disabled the guns making them useless. He descended into the group just as his Dad taught him. His fingers transformed into claws making short work of the goons. He launched bolos and batarangs from his arms taking care of the cavalry. He shot out an elbow jut line snagging a surgical tray and flicked it forward on top of the doctor. He grabbed the doctor and shoved him against the tube containing Matt. "Free him and the others right now!"

"I can't do that! Once the subjects are situated in the youth/immorality tube for alterations; it's not possible to get them out until the surgery is finished and the machine shuts down," the doctor pleaded, but Batboy shoved him harder into the tube causing an indentation.

"Your lying, not something I suggest you do. Now either do as I ask or you're going to be meeting your maker," Batboy demanded. The man was frighten, but to scared to do anything. Under the infamous Batglare he nodded his head. Batboy dropped him and watched with intensity as the man pushed several buttons and worked frantically to remove the straps. He took out the IV and turned the machine off. He stepped back as Batboy shoved him away to help Matt up.

"Matt, Matt can you hear me? Matt Lawrence McGinnis? Night Owl, are you okay!" Batboy asked frantically shaking him. The sixteen year old groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "Five more minutes, Mom. Oh my, who are you and where am I?"

"Calm down Matt, it will be okay. I'm Batboy, Batman's son. I was sent to rescue you."

"Batboy? Son? I don't know what you've been drinking kid, but I never heard of any hey look out!" Matt shouted grabbing the wrist of the doctor before he plunged a needled into Batboy. The boy gassed the doctor before helping him out of the tube. "Whoa, this is just freaky."

"I assure you that as freaky as this appears the situation is quite real and the danger is high. I need you to follow my instructions if we're to assist the others in completing the mission successfully. Be aware that friend and foe are mixed," Batboy warned the teenager. Matt looked at him shocked and was about to say something when they jumped into battle.

Right before Equus could plunge his needle like fingers into her back, Miss Martian awoke and flew out reach. The cyborg man wouldn't quit using his super strength to hurl empty biopods at her. She managed to deflect quite a few before Equus use one hand to pin her up against the glass of Xylon's biopod. Saliva dripped down his teeth.

"Now I wonder if Martian tastes like chicken. I'm gong to find out now!"

Miss Martian closed her eyes praying to her gods it would be okay. She heard a cracking sound and wail of pain. She opened her eyes surprised to see herself intangible. "I density shifted? I density shifted! Ah, take that you brute!" she shouted firing mental bolts. She was tiring as she flew away, unsure how long she could stay intangible. That's when Batboy and Matt showed up. The little guy was swift on his feet, darting in and out of Equus reach, causing him to become unbalance and fall over a Matt. Miss Martian shifted into a dragoon, squeezing the cyborg until he stopped moving before tossing him into vacant biopod for a nap. "Thanks Batboy. Density shifting took a lot out of me. I don't know if I can do it again."

"You'll get it with practice. Why don't you have a chat with the genomorphs to free the kids? Seems like Fate's Dagger and Hawklady are finishing up with the traitors over there?"

Indeed the two had paired up after Fate's Dagger used a powerful rainbow magic strike to deal with his foes. The magic was still playing tricks on them as he used his tanto to carve up the brain pods and disable the scanners and sensors. He saw Hawklady using her fire powers sparingly as she fought against a few scientists/doctors who were dedicated to the Project. Both "brother" and "sister" stood back to back. "This is becoming tiresome and I'm not sure how much longer we can hold them off. I suggest we combine powers and cage the upstarts before we blow this joint."

"Ah yeah take that! I agree can you cast a spell on my flames to imprison those who are against us?"

"I'll try, just create as much as you can so I can work with it!" Seconds' later fire filled the room panicking everyone, but Fate kept his cool, animating the flames making them condense and form tight rings of fire over all the men and woman who would attack them. Attempts to escape were met with burning results. As the biopods opened freeing the hostages; everyone went to work destroy the tech.

In the casino, the Alliance was unaware of their losing streak, as they continued to press their advantage over the four teens. The boys were reaching their limits, and even after healing or surviving fatal wounds, they were no closer to winning this fight. Something extraordinary needed to happen if they were to survive. It started with Superboy.

Metallo had the young clone near death. Burn marks and a crushed windpipe made it difficult for Superboy to breath. He had tried to use super breath only for it fail and be sucker punched. "What's matter kid? Out of power? Face it; you were never a match for me. You're nothing, but a pathetic science project that was an F. Time for you to die!" He bombarded the teen with the full force of his kryptonite beam.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Superboy screamed his body caught between hurt and pain. He needed an advantage! He was twenty percent human he needed that part to help him now! Superboy felt something happen inside him, as if his genetic code adapted and changed. His blue eyes change to black with green. With a surge of power he absorbed the full strength of the beam until his hands were flashing the same color. Metallo took a step back confused.

"What is going on? How can you still be standing against my beam?"

"Let's just say I evolved!" Superboy unleashed all that energy forming a giant green crystal cocoon around Metallo before collapsing to the ground, his eyes normal.

"No way, did that snotty little clone just do what I think he did?" Gizmo yelped.

"Who cares he's too weak to fight! Time to finish him off ahhh!" Neutron yelled as a superfast Green Lantern JR plowed into him. When Neutron blasted him the outline of a turtle appeared shielding him. Gizmo and Jinx both attacked one with flying robots and the other with a powerful green flame.

Green Lantern JR flew out of the way shooting lasers at them. Clapping his hands, he showered them with waves of emerald energy before getting in close and personal attacking the agility of monkey and training of a marine. He tagged each of them with a marker before transporting them to his other dimension holding cell. "So it seems like I'm taking after mom in more ways then one."

Kid Flash was also racing around the stage trying to loosen the dancing cage. With a grunt it finally came loose and he spun it over dropping it on top of the Body Double. The flexible woman just squeezed out and came after him firing, but he zoomed past. He hated hitting girls, but they wouldn't stop until he touched them slowing them down to nothing. He then placed them in the cage, removed their weapons before making it to small to escape.

Water poured out of the ceiling and tanks as Aqualad formed underwater constructs to hold his prey. He ignored the injuries to his body, calling on the fish to take out the guns and weaken the men. The heads fought violently, especially Morgan Edge, who broke Aqualad's arm and shot him several times. The other heads came at him also injuring him, but he electrocuted them. He managed to avoid being shot in the head and rammed Morgan in the head with a mace of water. The old man was tough and skilled, but soon was overwhelmed and collapsed.

"How? How could you deny the world the gifts you possess?" Morgan growled as he was cuffed by Aqualad and put with the others.

"Immortality is not a gift for any of us. The price you were willing to pay to become like us was too high and should never have been an option," Aqualad told him coldly. "This is Team A, we've apprehended the Alliance and the security team. We have enough evidence to put them away for a long time. We're you equally successful?"

"Hawklady for Team B. All hostages are safe, collaborators contained, and we've made sure the tech can't be used again. The genomorphs are erasing the knowledge as we speak and Batboy's torn up any blueprints."

"Robin, Team C the hackers have been hacked. Calculator is stewing and his accomplices are all in similar states. Artemis shut down the shipments. Huntsmark is already contacting the League. It looks like this is our first victory as a solo team again."

"It appears to be so. But I wonder how the League will react once we tell them how we won the day," Aqualad muttered as they waited for the heroes to come with the police.


	8. Dancing Night

It was ordered chaos at the casino as the local authorities and the Feds showed up to take possession of the Alliance and helpers. Medical personal arrived to start treatment for the hostages and personal from Warehouse X had shown up to reclaim their stolen property. The League arrived shortly afterwards having, with the help of the Birds of Prey, dealt with the decoys and hurried to see how Young Justice to perform on their first solo mission in a long time. It seemed their fears had been unfounded. The team had accomplished all their goals without a single fatality.

Because of the added risk of be recognized by their friends/classmates, Green Lantern JR had green rinsed all of them before hand, which also came in handy against bad guys. Artemis was assisting him, along with his dad and uncle, with pulling the bad guys out of the pocket dimension and loading them into the vans. She gave Sportsmaster a cold look before turning her face away. She was done with him. He may have been her father, but she had a dad who loved her very much. Green Lantern JR gave her shoulder a squeeze letting her know it was going to be okay.

The others were scattered about doing similar tasks. Miss Martian was working with the genomorphs to wipe the memories of the entire Project so no one would attempt to repeat it. The Bat family was triple checking to make sure the data was gone and the tech was beyond repair. Fate's Dagger was making sure the rogue scientists didn't escape while Aqualad was handing over evidence and giving statements about what was going on. Some members of the Justice League were busy loading the medical equipment, while the rest of Young Justice carefully freed the hostages from the biopods so they could receive treatment from Hawklady and the doctors.

"Take it easy, that's right, the mixture of gases used in the biopod might have disoriented you. You'll be light headed for awhile, but I assure you that safe now," Wonder Girl told two kids. She opened another pod and hesitantly held out her hand. "Are you alright Miss?"

"F major, what is going on? My head hurts and I feel so weak," Odette melismatic weakly. She weakly tried sit up only to lie back down again. "What the music? Where am I and what's going on? Who are you?"

"Wonder Girl is my name and you're in Las Vegas. You were kidnapped as part of plot to give a new lease on life to some dangerous men and women. Your okay now, don't worry. Your family has been notified and you'll be reunited with them soon. Right now we need to get you checked out by some medics so let me help you miss."

"Do I know you? You seem familiar, but I can't quite place you."

"I have one of those faces and the gases are still playing tricks with your mind. Let me help you to see the doctor."

"Wait up WG, I've got another one for the doctors to see. The treatments these kids received to prep their bodies for that so called surgery seems to have left this kid in semi bad shape," Kid Flash called out as he zoomed over. In his arms was Illan and he did appear quite pale and having a difficult time speaking. "When will the Light's legacy stop hurting people?"

"I'm, cough, and cough, not that bad, cough, Kid Flash. I can….walk really." Illan gasped. He started hacking up a storm and shivered slightly.

"No way, you're not in any condition to move. Your body chemistry is seriously out of whack. You need some electrolytes and meds to stabilize you before you think about walking."

"To think I'm... still…getting…tutored….in chemistry… after all," Illan joked, as the two teen heroes deposited their charges on stretchers to be checked out. Both he and Odette would be okay after a little rest and medication.

Huntsmark and Superboy hovered anxiously as their best friends were examined. Both Eunice and Chad had IV lines in their arms and were being given brain scans to make sure there wasn't any damage. All four teens waited with baited breath hoping it was good news.

"What's the verdict doctor? Will I be able to draw again or should I apply for sainthood?" Eunice demanded.

"The two of you are both in remarkable health, all things considered. Our scans show no lasting damage to your brains and your bodies seem to be recovering nicely. A few days rest and you'll both be back to normal," the doctor stated entelechy.

"Thank goodness for small miracles. My parents are going to kill me though when they see me. How many times have they told me to be careful about free offers anywhere? They're going to be so disappointed in me," Chad said sadly, thinking of the people he'd let down.

"I'm sure your folks will just be glad that you're alive Ch, I mean, young man. After all, had the Alliance's plan worked they would have lost you three times. Your kidnapping, the death of you in another body, and then having your old one running away," Superboy pointed. Chad seemed to contemplate what he said relaxing a little bit.

"I just can't believe that my Dad's Conspiracy belief wasn't more paranoia for once. Then again, considering who developed this cocky minded stupid, procedure should I have doubted it in the first place?" Huntsmark asked her brother. He shrugged turning his attention back to the two teens.

"You reminded me of my friend, but she's more playful then you and actually has a whole face ugh," Eunice said before the world got all wobbly. Huntsmark moved to help her, but that's when her communicator chirped. She glanced down at the screen seeing the text. It was time for their debriefing. "We have to go check in with the League, but your ordeal is over for now. Please get some rest."

"Cough, will do," Eunice said before relaxing. The two young heroes made their way over to the League. Both were nervous, especially Superboy. How was he going to explain encasing Metallo in a green crystal cocoon? There was just no way to explain that without revealing the truth and he wasn't sure he could deal with that. He felt a surge of love through his bond and turned to look in his teammate's eyes. She was just as nervous about what they were going to say. They joined the rest of the team as they took stood in front of a few members of the League.

Aqualad looked around surprised not to see his mentor and King. "If I may be so bold, why is my King not present? Did something happen to him?"

"Aquaman is fine; we just let him return home after he completed his duties. It seems Queen Mera has gone into labor and the birth of his son is not something he wished to miss," Black Canary explained. Aqualad's face lit up with joy. Soon Atlantis would have its heir! He only hoped to live up to his duty as the child's guardian, but he had a feeling that it would not be once the team finished the debriefing.

"We haven't had a chance to view any security feed and some of the claims that the bad guys are making don't add up, but we also can't deny what our senses are telling us. It seems that the twelve of you might be developing new abilities that were not previously available to you," Superman said as picked up micro body movements from Young Justice telling him that they were keeping a secret. "The rules state, that you're not to keep secrets from us. I understand that this was crises and if you couldn't tell us before hand, but now isn't the time to be silent."

"All of you have been acting in variant degrees from your normal mode of behavior. This aberration began shortly after your volunteer work in Benevolence. Was there more to what Julia and Dubbilex had to say then what related to us?"

"It's complicated Red Tornado. We are unsure of how to explain this secret to any of you. We're still coming to terms with what it means to us," Wonder Girl explained awkwardly to the League.

"Its nothing super bad if that's what your wondering. I mean our secret helped us out big time tonight. I don't think we'd have survived if we hadn't learned the full extent of what the Light did to us. Our new abilities are hool."

"Robin's right, we do owe our lives tonight to the Light's meddling, but at the same time that meddling has changed our future in so many ways. The guilt has nibbled the back our minds and though you might be able to help us we are unsure if we're ready to accept that help. The truth is, we just need a little time to work things out between us, and then we'll be able to share our secret and feelings, with you and the shrinks," Green Lantern JR surmised.

Superman and a few others got ready to lecture the group when Martian Manhunter stopped them with a mental warning. "_We can't push them into talking about this if they're not ready. The guilt of keeping this secret is hurting them, but at the same time the fear and confusion is to strong for them to deal with. The events of tonight have only made their mental state more fragile."_

_ "Are they in any danger of breaking down?"_ Green Arrow wondered, alarmed at the thought of Artemis becoming unstable so close to her operation.

_"Their minds are stable for now, but as the psychiatrist said, they are in danger of being pushed over the edge if there is too much pressure or reminders of Light become too great. I don't think they will go over the edge at this moment, but if we keep pushing they might shutdown to cope."_

_ "What do you suggest we do? We need to find out more about tonight's events and the powers they displayed," _Hal/Green Lantern pointed out. His instincts were telling them that they needed to learn more about this secret now.

_"We will, they just completed the most personal and dangerous solo mission of their young careers and right now interrogating them instead of remarking on how well they did. We'll get our answers, but only if we let them come to us on their terms. Give them a few days and I think they'll be ready to talk."_

_ "J'onn's right, they've been through a lot. Treating them like criminals instead of heroes is just making it worse. Besides I thought we had a surprise for them," _Flash reminded the group. The League stopped their mental conversation and turned to the kids who were still looking nervous and sad even. "Don't look so glum there kids. You should be happy."

"It's hard to be happy knowing that your mad at us, and we have to spend the next few hours debriefing and writing mission reports," Miss Martian replied unhappily.

"Oh, and what about your dances? Don't you want to attend them still?" Katana asked, slightly amused by the kids' stunned expressions. They had assumed the League forgot after everything that happened.

"Yeah, but what's the point when we can't go? Taking into account the time difference the dances are nearly half over by now. If you add in the time it takes to finish debriefings and mission reports, combined with the time it takes to get clean, dressed, and ready to go, add in conventional travel time the dances would be over. There's no reason to think about an impossible hope," Kid Flash responded dully.

"That be true, but I think this one time we can go without a debriefing. We will talk about this mission and what your secret is, but not tonight. Instead, we believe you should be able to have your cake and eat it too," Batman explained as Wonder Woman appeared landing a Javelin. "The Javelin comes equipped with sonic showers to help get you clean. All your dance related items are on board. A few members will help in getting you ready and drop you off at your destination."

"You're kidding right? Why are you being so generous? This seems like a reward when we should be punished for not telling you the whole story," Batboy challenged his Father. There was no discernable reason for allowing them to have fun not after everything that happened.

"You stopped the Alliance from harming innocent civilians, prevented them from using valuable data to steal away the lives of thousand if not millions. You have worked so hard at training to get stronger and studied very hard so you would do well on finals. You gave up your chance for fun to do your duty. I think have more then earned a little time off unless you don't want to ooff!" Batman was surprised when his son hugged him tightly, before following his teammates onto the Javelin. Batman hid a smile as the ship took off. The League would finish things here and then go over what they learned to help them deal with Young Justice. Right now they just needed a little time to be kids.

The Javelin was a frenzy of activity. The girls were hogging the sonic showers getting rid of any traces of dirt and grime. Finally they gave them up to the boys as Vixen helped get them dressed. Being a model she was an expert on getting cloths on and applying make up along with creating hair styles. The boys needed a little help with getting jackets and ties on which Hawkman was only too happy to help out with. Wonder Woman took lots of pictures for the kids' families. Thanks to Black Canary's day job as a florist, the flowers were still fresh smelling. The boys gave the girl's their gifts and vice versa. After making sure they had their tickets they were ready to go.

The first to be dropped off was Zairia, who teleported three blocks from her school, where Question was waiting for her. He looked at his daughter and any thoughts of the Conspiracy left his mind. Helena had picked out the dress, since she knew about the school's regulations. Zairia was dressed in a beautiful blue knee length skirt with henna patterns on the hem. There was tiny purple belt cinching her waist and the bodice was covered with dark blue middle and two straps that went to her shoulders while chest area was light blue like the skirt. Her sleeves were open, loose, and purple. Her shoes were simple black flats. She had on purple lip gloss that contrasted with her gold studs and heart shaped necklace. "You look very beautiful. Even prettier then your mother if that's possible."

"Thanks Dad, but we should get going. The dance is nearly half over and I'm starving! I hope they left some food at the refreshment stand," Zairia told him as they walked to the school. When they arrived Zairia had to hide a groan as she saw who was guarding the door. "Hello Sister Mary Clarence. How are you tonight?"

"Ms. Bertenelli-Sage, what a surprise to see you and your father here tonight. Most students would arrive on the time seeing as how punctuality is a virtue. Care to explain why you were late?"

"My daughter was upset that her friend was still missing. It just came to my attention at the news station a little while ago; that her friend has been found and she decided to come after all. I believe her friend might not have gotten her message and shone up anyways looking for her."

"Praise God that Eunice is safe. Hmm, there was blond young woman who came earlier stating a friend invited her to come and showed me her ticket. When I told her you hadn't shone up I thought she leave, but she's waiting inside. That dress of hers was horrible! Well I suppose I can let you in. If it isn't to much trouble Mr. Sage, would you mind sticking around? Your wife was supposed to be chaperoning, but she canceled at the last minute."

"Yeah, Helena's friend got into a bit of a jam and needed her help. Helping your neighbors and friend is good too. I'd be happy to fill in. Come along Zairia," Vic said leading his daughter into the gym. Drapes of white cloths formed tents over the gym. Balloons and streamers were tapped to the wall forming flowers. A Christian band was playing songs and there were several tables to sit at and eat the food. Kids were laughing and dancing while nuns walked among them. It was very generic looking to Vic's eyes, however to Zairia's eyes; it was the culmination of everything it meant to be a free teenager. "Why don't you go look for your girlfriend? I'm going to circle the dance and make sure the band isn't hypnotizing people to switch their religions."

"Okay thanks Dad, I love you!" Zairia said as she hurried into the mix searching for Bettie. She said hello to her classmates as she searched for her date. She finally spotted Bettie sitting at a table munching on cookies and drinking punch. No wonder her dress made Sister Mary Clarence nearly faint. It was pretty grown up with that red silk color top that barely met regulation skirt length and the bright green off set ribbon and pale yellow tights made quite the statement. "Bettie! Hi! I'm so glad you're here! I thought BOPs would have kept you busy!"

"Zairia, even Aunt Kathy and her eccentric ways, couldn't keep me from coming. Thank you again for saving my roommate. Duscha is so nice and polite, so she's easy to get along with. I also enjoy the challenge of trying to beat her in hard fought tennis match. Thanks to all our matches I aced my sports exam!"

"That's awesome Bettie! I'm proud of you."

"Thank you Zairia. Even a prodigy, such as I, needs to work hard if she's going to be great. Besides, Duscha also taught me a few new gymnastic tricks and great disabling move I can use during my battles."

"Good, because my Mom is always complaining about having to up your level of training, in order to make you even a halfway decent crime fighter."

"Hey, that's hitting below the belt. Hmm these cookies are superb. Try some their delicious."

"Thanks, oh yah these are divine! Oh! I got you something. My parents helped me pick it out. I hope it's not too much," Zairia said sliding a small red and green box over to Bettie. The older girl smiled and lifted the lid. Tears appeared in the corner of her eyes as she took out a delicate gold chain with a red firebird charm. She quickly put it on loving the way it looked with her outfit. "Its gorgeous, thank you Zairia."

"I hoped you would like it. Dad's always saying that jewelry is just a way for the Illuminati to keep track of how many females there are in the population, but Mom thought it be a nice touch. Oh, what you got me a gift too? What is it?"

"Open it up and you'll see."

"Oh I love it thank you! This Wiccan charm bracelet is so beautiful and I can discreetly hide it too! You're the best girlfriend ever! Oh I don't know why I said that."

"Hey listen to me okay. There is no reason to be embarrassed by saying that. I know some people think I'm a flake and that I'm just doing this to impress the boys in the superhero community, but the truth it I love being a heroine. Part of the reason for joining the BOPs was to work with strong female role models. I feel they can be better mentors for me. I hope to one day be able to be just as confident and strong willed as you. You inspire me in ways I've never thought of. I love you Zairia and that's not going to change, even if by some off chance I met another version of me who was into, ugh, Robin of all people."

"Thanks for saying that. You inspire me to everyday to be a happy normal teen. So let's hit the dance floor already! I've been dying to try some moves out!" The two girls glided onto the floor and were swaying happily to the band's rendition "For Such a Time as This." The two girls were holding hands and laughing just enjoying the music while Vic kept the nuns away from his daughter and her special time.

The next couple let off the Javelin was a very nervous Wally and Athena. Athena was dressed in a simple form hugging spaghetti strap red dress that went down to her thighs with gold and blue sequins all over the waist. Her hair was loose, but she left in a few strands of colored hair extensions to mix it up. Nestled among her locks was the gift that Illan had helped Wally pick out. A simple bejeweled butterfly hair piece that was both elegant and inexpensive. It was really nice and she loved it. Wally looked very handsome in his loose fitting jacket, dress shirt and pants. He even combed his wild hair down and splashed on some cologne. The teacher at the door was surprised to see such a late arrival. "Mr. West, you do realize the dance started at six right?"

"Sorry Mr. Peterson, my date here is from Gateway and her mom's car broke down part way. It took awhile to get it started and for her to arrive. May we still enjoy the dance?" Wally asked handing over his tickets.

"I know you, your part of the Gateway Dance Angels. I thought you were great in your performance."

"Thank you. May we please enter? Wally promised me a nice night and it would be a shame to miss it because of car trouble."

"Alright go in and enjoy yourselves, but I'll be keeping an eye on you Mr. West. I don't want to see any shenanigans. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir, come on I hear the decorations are amazing," Wally said leading her into the gym. Unlike the time she had competed everything was different. Glitter fell from ceiling were balloons were kept in nets. Colored lights and dry ice could be seen all over the floor. Music and videos were on the far side being shown to a rocking crowd. Tables were covered with food and drink near the door and a few game booths had been set up. People were laughing and cheering as they earned prizes. "Well this is what I call a rocking school party!"

"All this energy it's enthralling. I wonder if the Amazons ever have parties this big? Hey there's Sasha by the dunk booth! Let's go!"

"What about getting something to eat? Ah hey, Sasha what's up with the outfit? You look like you had a battle with the lawn mower and lost," Wally said. Sasha's hair was frazzled and her two tone flair dress was torn in a few pieces. Sasha ignored him hurling the last ball and dunking a teacher. She pumped her fist and collected her prize a gift card to one of her favorite stores. The trio moved away a bit to have a private talk.

"Very funny, do you realize how much trouble I had to go through to get here tonight? While I felt my girl struggling, I was busy with my Mystyx buddies handling a crossing of monsters. Mark's super strength and TK barely held them back long enough for Natalie to scan their minds for a weakness. It took Jenna's ghost summoning skills and my powers to weaken them. When we joined together we created a small storm that sent those creatures running home. So that's why I had to do a quick costume change and explain about my ticket. Great job saving Odette from trouble. I'm sure she appreciated all the efforts that went into saving her."

"Yeah, a fluke happened. I mean, I'm not sure if it's a new power or related to something else," Athena admitted aesopian. Ducking her head she refused to look her best friend and Guardian Angel in the eye. Sasha's feather appeared and she could sense that something was up with Athena, but decided to let her come out in her own time. "Know what, forget about for now. I want to see Wally game prowess. Let's see if Speedy Gonzales can win at ring toss."

"Hey, I resent being compared to that mouse!" Wally laughed. "Just for that crack, I'm going to make sure you dance with the weirdest kid here." The trio made their way down the game booths just having fun. Wally did lose at ring toss although Athena won him a small frog plushy. Wally did win her a small key chain when he burst some balloons at a dart game. After devouring some food the couple was dancing together, not stepping on any toes to, "There you'll be" and even Sasha found some guys to flirt with.

In Midway, Jordana was anxious for her friend to arrive. Her date Gregor was also worried. News had just come in about the situation in Las Vegas. There weren't a lot of details, but it was clear the League had managed to rescue their missing friends from danger. "I hope their okay."

"I'm sure Levina and Elkan are going to be fine. They have the best doctors in the world looking at them. They'll be back here fighting the good fight for the world soon," Gregor told her gently. Both were in green fabric clothes and suits to show their commitment to their cause.

"I know, I just am worried for Shania and Kaldur. I just hope that nothing bad happened to them!" Jordana said clutching her feather necklace. She was about to will it to show her where Shania was when Gregor tapped her shoulder. Entering the gym was a frazzled couple. Kaldur was in his rental suit with the pin Shania made placed on his label. Shania looked amazing her hair in a bun and wearing a low cut back burnt orange dress. "There you two are! I was so worried about you guys! Why didn't you answer your phones?"

"Apologizes Jordana, Gregor, but my adoptive mother went into labor. I escorted her to the hospital for her water birth and was going to stay until the delivery, but she insisted quite loudly, that I didn't miss my first dance or keep Shania from attending either. So here we are," Kaldur explained to the couple. "I hope we didn't worry you to much."

"Not me, but Jordana was about to cough up a crow if you guys didn't show up. It must be exciting to know your going to have a new brother to take care off when you get home. The way you take charge of everything I know that kid is going to go far," Gregor said.

"He's right you know Kaldur. So have any cool prizes been award yet from the raffle?" Shania asked.

"Some girl, but not the big ones like a new laptop or digital camera. Heck I'm hoping to win the prize for a free dinner for four. Oh there about to announce two new prize winners. Here's hoping!"

The DJ announced over the speaker the raffle numbers. Shania let out a squeal as her ticket matched the one for the new digital camera that was also waterproof. Kaldur won the dinner for four promising to have a real double date. Shania started putting her camera to good work as she photographed the dance. Jordana even snapped one as Kaldur gracefully danced with his girl to, "Love Will Find a Way."

Megan and Connor were overwhelmed by the sights that greeted them when they entered the gym. It really did look like an Earthling's version of Mars with the color pallet. The lights, the sounds, even the moon bounce and mini funhouse was incredible to look out. "Oh this is fantastic! It's like a fantasy version of home! I enjoy it so much!"

"Glad you're having such a good time. So where are you friends?" Connor asked nervously. He was slightly uncomfortable in his rented tux and kept fidgeting. He was slightly uncomfortable being surrounded by so many people who kept bumping into him. It was taking all his patience to avoid striking out which wouldn't be good.

"I'm not sure where they are oh there they are! Em! Melissa over here! Hi girls, I'm so happy to see you!" Megan shouted as she hugged her girlfriends tightly. Em was smirking as she shoved a brownie into Megan's mouth who was gasping at how great it tasted. Melissa was bombarding her with questions as Connor hovered nearby waiting to be introduced.

"Oh my, is this tall hunk of country boy the reason you were late Megan? If so, I totally approve of having such a long distance relationship with a man," Melissa teased.

"Not cool Mel. I apologize sometimes her mouth operates on its on accord. My name's Em, the mouth is Melissa. So your Conrad right?"

"It's Connor, actually. Sorry we showed up so late my flight from Kansas was delayed and then I had trouble getting into this tux. I've never worn anything like this before."

"Connor was such a gentlemen apologizing to me, but I was just happy to see him! He gave me a pretty pink rose and look at this ring. Isn't it just so cute?"

"I would love to snatch up a trendy gem like that for my collection. So did you hear on the news? They found Wendy and Melvin! I don't have all the details, but some crazy crime family was using that game they played to hunt for targets. Talk about perverts and cyber crime gone awol."

"The important thing is that they're safe. At least they took down that game so no one else can be tricked. Maybe this will teach kids to be more careful online."

"Hopefully, but we're not here to talk about bad guys and computer safety ladies. I thought we came to have a good time. I'm dying to check out that photo booth and see the Martian funhouse."

"I wouldn't mind getting a few dances with you either. Come on I'll escort you." Connor ignored the snickers at him being a perfect gentleman as they toured the funhouse. It was so crazy seeing what people thought of Mars as they walked through. They had fun on the moon bounce and crazy time with the photo booth. They took their place on the dance floor under the strobe light as they danced to the song, "The Start of Something New."

In Gotham, the remaining six members finally made their appearance. As Terry left to find Max, and Nerissa and Lucas wandered off to do their own thing, Dick nervously scanned the crowd for Anne, while Taji waited patiently by his side. He was getting some looks because of his kimono, but it didn't bother him that much. He was more anxious about what Dick would say once he found the girl that claimed to be his date. "I'm sure Anne-san will understand that you were late."

"I seriously doubt that Taji. She's sort of one the more important girls in the school because of her parents being on the city council. I don't really want to deal with the aftermath if I made their only daughter cry."

"I'm not that much of terror am I Dick?" a voice asked from behind him. The teen jumped in surprise before turning to see Anne in strapless red and black number, her brown eyes sparkling in amusement. "Oh my did I startle you Dick? That would be a first."

"Anne hi! I'm sorry I'm late there was something I had to take care of with my Dad and I…"

"Dick, its okay I understand why you're late okay. I've been known to miss some of my engagements because of my parents too. The important thing is you made it. Who's this? I don't recognize you from school."

"Konochiwa, I'm Taji Nelson, a friend of Dick's from Happy Harbor. I was invited to join Dick at the dance because I've never been to one and my school didn't have any plans to host one. You're looking very flattering in that dress Ms. Claymore," Taji said bowing and then kissing her hand.

"Thank you, I love your kimono. It's so beautiful and makes you stand out in the crowd."

"Thank you. My Kaa-san gave it to me to wear on my special nights. I'm graduating tomorrow."

"Yeah, his friend was one of the missing teens so that party was canceled, but his mom saved the day. She and her friends, his extend family if you will are going to be hosting a graduation bash at their house. I thought I attend since he came here," Dick explained.

"You're so loyal and true to your friends Dick. I can understand why you wanted to protect him from some of the bigots who might not understand that you."

"What are you, I don't know what you're talking about! You're unwhelming me Anne. Taji is just a good friend who happens to be my guest tonight is all!" Dick protested loudly fighting to keep from blushing. Both Taji and Anne gave him looks that said they clearly didn't believe him.

"Dick look its okay, I have a confession to make. I've known you were bisexual for a long time now. You've always been glancing at the girls, but your overly friendliness with guys was a precursor for what would happen when puberty hit. There's no shame in being bisexual really. My cousin's bi and she's proud of it.

"Really? Is she a member of the local GLBT chapter in her neighborhood? I'm a member of my school's chapter and we've been fighting for equal rights and representation all year. I've always been open about my orientation, but Dick here has been nervous about telling people."

"With good reason! It's hard for any teen to reveal their orientation, but the thirteen year old son of one of the richest men in the world coming out would make or break Bruce. How can I put him through that?"

"You sound like my parents when I told them I wanted to date Umi instead of being forced to ask you out. You're a great kid and I hope we can be friends Dick, but I just like Umi more. His accent is adorable and he's so smart. No offence."

"None taken Anne. I'm just glad you're not mad because I was going to say something."

"When in the next century? I may have only known you since November Dick, but you have a difficult time sharing personal details with anyone?" Taji questioned.

"So I like my privacy!"

"Hey it's cool. I won't tell anyone your secret Dick. Why not for the rest of the night the three of us just hang? It will keep the bashers off your backs and the press won't have a field day for now?" Anne suggested.

"I like the way you think girl. Can we get some food we're both hungry?"

"Sure, later you can teach me and Dick some Japanese dance moves."

"This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Terry was looking all over the gym for Max knowing that when he found her she was going to kill him. It was so hard for him to ask Max to be his date; especially when the pack of girls consisting of Dana, Chelsea, and Blade hounded him on the playground. He nearly fainted when she said yes and now she must hate him. There! In the corner was a pink haired girl in a simple black dress and shawl.

Max looked up with a neutral expression as Terry approached her nervously. He was biting his lip and raising his eyebrow as he quietly approached the girl. "Hello Wayne, it's nice of you to finally show your face. Do you have something to say?"

"I'm sorry I know I should have called, but I couldn't where I was with my Dad, and then Madison calls saying her brother's be found so we got into a conversation, and finally Dick reminds us we have to go and well. I can understand if you never want to talk to me again."

"I am mad that you didn't call, but I wouldn't stop talking to you over this Terry. You know me better then that. So what life saving mission were you on with your dad?"

"I don't know what you mean by that? Something came up at work and he just needed our help that's all."

"Yeah and the world's flat. Your dad likes to hide behind a mask pretending he's a playboy that doesn't care, but any man who puts that much heart and soul into helping people has to have a secret outlet to let his true nature through. I don't know what it is Wayne, but I'm not going to pry. It's your business not mine."

"That's very mature of you. I often wonder why our age mates act so jejune yet the two of us can act so civil and intellectual on a much deeper level."

"Good parenting?" Max joked. "I don't know maybe it's due to our intelligence or that we know when to have fun and when to work for our goals. If that wasn't the case we wouldn't be friends with Rose, Michael, and Madison."

"Your assumption appears to be correct based on relevant data. Max I'm sorry I was a douche by not calling."

"The past is the past, we have to move on. I know you wanted to impress me tonight, but Terry we're only eleven. I'm not ready to date just yet even with a cute catch as you. Maybe when you're junior and I'm a sophomore we can go to next level. Don't look so surprised, I've been taking extra classes and I'm being bumped to eighth grade next year instead of sixth. Watch out genius, I'm coming for you," Max giggled.

"You'll have to catch me and Ace on his new rocket powered segway!" Terry joked as they headed off to have some fun.

Nerissa watched the two youngsters run off towards the games as she and Lucas rested near the DJ. The music was loud and the lights were flashing making the decorations shimmer shine. For such prep school this was very much like her old school's dance, except the food was more exotic and the clothing sharper. She tugged at her gloves nervously. She'd hoped that by tapping into their mysterious power she could heal herself, but her arms still remained scarred. "I guess even immortals sometimes bare the scars of past mistakes."

"Stop worrying so much about them. Your surgery is coming up in a few weeks and then they'll be gone. Even if it fails you look beautiful. Stop caring what others think of you," Lucas advised. The couple was getting a few looks from the rich kids, but he ignored them. So what if he wasn't a student and Nerissa was a scholarship student. That shouldn't matter tonight.

"It's so hard for me Lucas. Tonight when we faced my father I couldn't believe he would be so brazen, but then again I wasn't shocked either. He always cared about himself and hurt my mom and me. I'm just worried that one day I'll end up exactly like him."

"That won't happen; you have too much moxie to let any man tell you how to live your life. It's like you said, he's dead to you. This is supposed to be a romantic night for us and according to every teen law I ever came across; it's our prerogative to have a wonderful time. Care to dance? My Mom taught me so moves."

"I hope nothing crazy. This DJ is rocking," Nerissa admitted dragging her date on to the floor. The colored and strobe lights really made it exciting as they danced amongst the students having a good time. Soon they were bumping butts together and having just good time with their friends. Nerissa cleared some space for Terry and Max to dance without getting stepped with a glare. The trio of Dick, Taji, and Anne were dancing nearby causing quite a stir. As the night came to a close the last song for all the dances was coincidentally the same. It was beautiful romantic slow song called, "I See the Light."

_All those days watching from the windows  
>All those years outside looking in<br>All that time never even knowing  
>Just how blind I've been<br>Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight  
>Now I'm here, suddenly I see<br>Standing here, it's all so clear  
>I'm where I'm meant to be<em>

_And at last I see the light_  
><em>And it's like the fog has lifted<em>  
><em>And at last I see the light<em>  
><em>And it's like the sky is new<em>  
><em>And it's warm and real and bright<em>  
><em>And the world has somehow shifted<em>  
><em>All at once everything looks different<em>  
><em>Now that I see you<em>

_All those days chasing down a daydream_  
><em>All those years living in a blur<em>  
><em>All that time never truly seeing<em>  
><em>Things, the way they were<em>  
><em>Now she's here shining in the starlight<em>  
><em>Now she's here, suddenly I know<em>  
><em>If she's here it's crystal clear<em>  
><em>I'm where I'm meant to go<em>

_And at last I see the light_

_And it's like the fog has lifted_

_And at last I see the light_

_And it's like the sky is new_

_And it's warm and real and bright_  
><em>And the world has somehow shifted<em>  
><em>All at once, everything is different<em>  
><em>Now that I see you, now that I see you<em>

As the song came to an end the couples shared a quite moment with their loved ones kissing them gently. It was the perfect end to one of the biggest civilian nights of their lives and they wouldn't change anything about them.

_Epilogue _

Over the next few days a lot happened to the team. Taji happily graduated and had wonderful party where he and Dick got to talk with the Outsiders learning more about them. Kaldur was spending time with his new little brother, Arthur JR, absolutely smitten by him and Shania was there taking pictures. Wally and Athena spent a lot of time checking in on their acquaintances that had been kidnapped making sure they were recovering. Connor helped Megan work up the courage to talk to her family and in turn helped him figure out what he wanted to do for his last year at school. Nerissa spent more time with her mom as she got ready for her surgery and Lucas started to hang out with Panas at the Community Center. Zairia was enjoying helping her father track down more evil game programs.

The teens were still nervous to tell their families their secret unsure how they would handle it. They had almost come to grips with what it meant for their futures, and had unanimously agreed they would reveal their immortality, after they received their report cards in two and half weeks. Until then, there was one other secret that had to be dealt with first concerning Terry. After debating with his father about the pros and cons the two of them decided to have a chat with the McGinnis

Mary was making dinner as Matt and Madison played cards in the living room and Warren finished some work while Rex slept at his feet. The family had grown a lot closer since Matt came home, but something was off with him. She didn't know what and was wondering if he was okay when the doorbell rang. She opened the door and was surprised by who it was. "Br, I mean Mr. Wayne, Terry, what an unexpected surprise. I wasn't expecting to have guests for dinner tonight. Come in. Can I get you something?"

"No Mary, we're here on a personal matter."

"Oh, what kind of personal matter Mr. Wayne?" Warren asked as Terry and his Dad sat down in the living room. Madison gave Terry a puzzled look and Matt just stared at him hard. "I hope it's nothing to serious, we can't thank you enough for helping to pay Matt's medical expenses. It was a kind gesture."

"Think nothing of it Warren. It was the least I could do, seeing as how Matt learned something about Terry here. That's why I'm here really. I think you and your son need to be fully aware of matter of grave importance concerning Terry and your family."

"Bruce, are you sure about this? I thought you were worried about exposure and danger," Mary asked sharply confusing her husband. She had never been this familiar before. She seemed greatly concerned about something and even Madison was acting nervous. "I mean, I can understand letting Matt in due his suspicions, but I'm not sure Warren can handle the truth."

"The truth about what Mary? What is going on?"

"Mr. McGinnis, there is more to me then meets the eye and your wife helped play an unwitting part in it all. Your daughter has been a guiding hand and now Matt has been unceremoniously involved because of his gaming. Keeping this secret has caused minor problems with our lives, but we wish to extend our trust to you and your family. Welcome you into our unconventional family as it were," Terry explained.

"Warren, please, before you make any comments just sit and listen to the whole story."

"Yeah Dad, I think we need to hear them out," Matt stated.

"Mr. McGinnis, you recall a few months ago the chaos created when a group known as the Light made a move to control the people of Earth correct?" Bruce asked. Warren nodded recalling the chaos in Gotham as their soldiers threatened people. "The group had been amassing power for over fifty years. One of their Projects they created was creating a team of generals to enforce their rule and deal with the League. This team consisted of children created in a variety of manners from DNA they stole from members of the League. One of their creations was eugenics Project made from the blood of your wife combined with mine. The end result was Terry."

"You're confusing me Mr. Wayne. If what you're saying is true, then Terry is my wife son. But that can't be true right Mary?" Warren sputtered. He looked at his wife and she nodded. "But why your blood? I don't understand, I thought your company only aided the League. What purpose could your child have?"

"Use you head Dad. He's Batman and Terry's that Batboy who risked his life to save me. I never said thank you," Matt chided his stunned Dad.

"No problem, I would do anything for my half sibling." Terry said confirming Matt's suspicions. Warren was looking pale as Bruce went on to explain Madison involvement and prove he was Batman. Mary and Warren exchanged heated words for several minutes, but in the end Warren agreed he probably would have spilled the secret before hand if he hadn't been confronted like this. "The reason we're letting you in on this is because Matt figured it out and it felt wrong not to tell you. I hope you can understand the reasons my background must stay secrete as well as my family's occupation."

"We can count on your discretion Warren?"

"What? Of course, its scary learning the whole truth, but I support my wife and her choices. Don't worry about a thing Mr. Wayne. Your secret is safe with us and I promise if anything ever happens to you we'll be happy to help raise Terry."

"That's good to know," Terry said smiling. He was happy his family was whole. Getting this secret out felt good and gave him the confidence to tell Dad about his immortality status. There would be struggles and complications for Young Justice. The League would help them learn more about their condition and maybe help undo it. No one knew for certain what the future would bring, but this was going to be a summer no one would forget.

_Enjoying this AU and want more? Curious about how the team spends their summer vacation and handling their immortality status? Then click my name and read my fusion (not found in crossover), story of the gang meeting Generator Rex, in, Generator Rex: Justice for All. Read and review. _


End file.
